RewindRewound
by M.Hz
Summary: AU. She wanted nothing but to erase the last few days of her life. He was just as desperate to erase every second of his. RenoYuffie, other pairings.
1. Blackmailed

I bring you all a new, fresh from the oven, smoking hot RenoYuffie fic! Before it begins, I just want to make some parts clear. Yuffie, Tifa, Aerith and Scarlet have been friends since high school (though Yuffie and Tifa have known eachother since childhood) and after having experienced the typical high school and college crushes they decide to leave the university as members of the Sexy Singles' Club. All four are in the early twenties and the story takes on about a year after graduation. Several things have changed (obviously it wouldn't be much of a plot to this story if they hadn't), and this is very much a story of the process of dealing with changes and the unforeseen twists in life. Also starring in this fic is Reno in his middle/late twenties, but I don't want to reveal too much about him. Many other characters will appear and be more or less vital to the story.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. There will definitely be a few typos here that I've missed, and I would really appreciate if you'd point them out to me. Any other constructive criticism is just as welcome, but if all you want to do is flame me, then don't bother. Any irrelevant flamings and rude behavior will most likely be possible if it is possible. I am NOT a professional writer, and I have flaws just like anyone else. If you still don't like what I write, then just press **Back **and forget you ever saw it.

This story is rated M for a reason and there will be sexual content in later chapters. Warnings will be noticed in the beginning of every chapter.

............

_Disclaimer: _I own nothing. I use them for my own pleasure and make no money out this.

...

_Warnings: _Some language and mentions of sex.

............

It should have been a radiantly beautiful day in Midgar. After all, it wasn't just any day that your best friend got married. And not any day that you wore a bridesmaid's dress that actually was pretty enough for you to consider wearing it again some day, a knee-lengthed midnight blue dress that hugged her every petite curve like a second skin.

Yuffie Kisaragi forced herself to smile. _Definitively not every day you got taped having sex, either._

A shiver rushed through her just thinking about it.

She threw a look towards Tifa, who, in blessed ignorance, rectified her veil in front of a large full-bodied mirror in the church's small dressing room. Tifa, who had never been taped while having sex.

Yuffie thought about telling her about the shitload of trouble she'd gotten herself into, but in the end, her conscience told her not to. It was the wedding day she'd dreamt of for years and years, and nothing should taint her happiness today.

"Is everything okay?" Aerith wondered as she came up from behind. "You look a little pale."

Aerith. Sweet, innocent, beautiful Aerith and her big warm eyes.

Yuffie waved the wedding program in front of her. "It's the dress", she whined. "I can't _breathe_!"

"It looks great on you, though."

She strained a smile. "Yeah, I think so too."

This freaking dress was what had gotten her in this mess in the first place. They'd had Tifa's bridal shower directly after the last fitting. _Oh, Yuffs, you've _got_ to wear that tonight. You're drop-dead gorgeous!_

Yuffie usually never wore dresses of any kind. And she never downed more than four beers a night. And under normal circumstances, she never had a one night stand with overly-excited research assistants who then tried to blackmail her.

The anxiety struck her again.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Aerith repeated.

"Yeah, yeah. I just gotta sit down for a while, " Yuffie assured her as she slumped down on the nearest chair.

"You want some water?"

"Oh, I'd _love_ that!"

Aerith returned with a plastic cup. "I know this is hard on you, hun," she said and handed her the water.

Yuffie stared at her in confusion. She _knew_?!

"_What_?!" she shrieked.

Aerith cocked her head towards Tifa. "Tifa. Cloud. The wedding. But remember that you won't lose a friend, you'll win a whole bunch of hot and available men!"

The saddest part of this was that Aerith was completely serious. "I haven't looked at it like that..."

"I know we swore never to get married, but that was all just a joke, right?" Aerith said, eyes twinkling with hope.

The Sexy Singles' Club. Last year, on their last night as college students, the four college students had vowed to live their life as independent single women to the fullest. Free from men, free to do whatever they'd want.

The most important for her at the moment would be the free from men-part, since she now had to concentrate on getting her hands on a tape from a night she didn't even remember... When she finally would be able to put this horror story behind her, she could focus on her work assignment and the presentation she was to hold for professor Hollander and the rest of the Academy. Her ticket to fame and money. Well, maybe not money, but enough attention for her to enter the inner circle of _Astrophysics Periodical_. And maybe even earn her some respect from a certain business tycoon named Godo Kisaragi, also known as Dad.

But if he, or someone at the research center heard even the slightest of whisper about that video, she'd turn into some astrophysic dobe within a second.

The day after Tifa's bachelorette party, Genesis had come up to her with some vague allusions of the night they'd spent and the video he had as proof with the intent to use it unless she did what he wanted her to. Which, naturally, was to have even more sex with him, and that was down right frustrating, since she couldn't recall it had been _that_ great in the first place.

Aerith grabbed a chair and sat down beside her. "You know what, we should do something together. I mean... if you want to?"

This time, Yuffie's smile came naturally. "Sure, Aerith. We can go out after the reception."

"To Harry's, and take a beer?"

A beer? Hell no. But she could do with a Bloody Mary. "Okay."

The music started and the two friends were rushed out into the foyer.

Yuffie leaned closer to Tifa. "Good luck," she whispered.

"Next time's your turn," was all Tifa had to say.

_Yeah, right! When I'm done with that shithole Genesis, I'm gonna forget men even exist..._

The ceremony was beautiful, she admitted. White lillies, classical music and tears that threatened to fall any minute. When Cloud kissed his bride, Yuffie was close to a breakdown.

The walk down the aisle started, love conquered all, the first step into a new future, _la di da di da_.

Yuffie sighed, took the offered arm of the steward and followed the happy couple out the door. The man beside her smiled at her, a harmless, humble smile, and Yuffie nodded stiffly.

He was amongst the enemy. He was a man, and right now, Yuffie Kisaragi had very little to say about human creatures with an extra appendage.

.........

Under the watch of Yuffie and her knowledge in professional mischief, Aerith, Scarlet and a few other friends decorated the newlyweds' car with different tips and practical advices. They didn't stop until they'd blocked most of the field of vision for the poor sucker who would be driving. And all the time, they enjoyed themselves tremendously.

A few hours later, the reception turned to an end, and the time had come for the happy couple to leave. Tifa aimed her bridal bouquet towards Yuffie, who in turn ducked the best she could, but in the true spirit of Murphy's law, it hit her straight in the chest. With reflexes as quick as lightning, she threw the bouquet on to Aerith.

Finally, Tifa's black Aston Martin took off down the streets of Midgar. Yuffie waved goodbye and dried her tears before anyone else noticed them. Her best friend was married. Then why couldn't she feel happy for them?

Because she wanted everything back to normal. But she'd noticed the small changes so long ago she'd known what was coming. For example, every time they went out, Tifa had kept one eye at her watch. And when she, for once, joined them on a night of flirts and pick ups, she always decided to go home before the good parts started.

It was so _goddamn_ depressing.

To divert her troubled thoughts of the impending depression and the whole sex tape-story, she met up with Aerith and Scarlet at Harry's that same night.

As usual, the place was packed with men and women on the hunt for only one thing. Sex. Yuffie had changed her dress for the sake of her favorite shorts and a matching top. Much more comfortable. And also, the perfect way to avoid unwanted male attention.

Scarlet, elegantly fitted in a blood red cocktail dress that highlighted her every curve, shook her head in dejection. "Cinderella back in her rags," she commented dryly.

"Yep, the fairytale's over. Back to reality, ladies."

Sometimes, it was hard to master a surplus of brain cells, and a shortage of all the things guys looked for in a woman. Wherever she turned, all male gazes were plastered on different parts of Scarlet's body.

After a few minutes, two business men came up to chat with Scarlet and Aerith, leaving Yuffie alone at their table. She glanced furtively over her shoulder at them chatting, scrutinizing everything from the way they talked to their expensive suits and cynically wonder what jackass would dress like that a _Saturday night_.

Aerith coaxed herself away from her company and joined Yuffie at her table where she ordered some chips and dip for the both of them.

Rummaging the bowl, Aerith picked up the largest chip and stared at its golden glory with yearning in her eyes. "This is like three weight watchers-points," she sighed. "But I've semi-starved myself all week. Tonight we celebrate."

"Great," Yuffie answered gloomily and dipped one of her own in the hot salsa dip. "What made you leave your potential life partner over there?"

"Too much after shave."

"Yeah… I hate that," she said snidely, although the jealousy crippled through the back of her head. That was also something new. Yuffie had never really wasted any time being jealous of anyone.

Until now.

She forced down a new chip with more force than necessary and managed bite on a chunk of chili, making her eyes burn in the process.

Discreetly, Yuffie studied Aerith, who wasn't as red hot as Scarlet, not as down-to-earth as Tifa, and not as smart as herself. Aerith who was perfectly content with being exactly the way she was.

"How do you _do_ that?" she blurted out.

"Do what?" Aerith asked in confusion.

"How can you be so satisfied with your life and with who you are?"

Aerith pulled a face. "I know you don't have the highest of thoughts about me…"

There were times when Yuffie didn't have any high thoughts about anyone… That's what made her world such an isolated place.

"That's not true," she automatically protested and pushed another snack down her throat.

"But it's okay," the brunette continued. "I know what you think, but you're wrong."

Yuffie stopped with a chip halfway inside her mouth, suddenly curious. "And what do I think?"

"That I'm a weaker kind of woman, destined to fulfill the primal urges of the genetic line since I believe that men are necessary for the sake of human development."

That actually sounded like something she could've said. When had she gotten so cynical? Oh right, life had made her that way.

"That's not really true, Aers," she objected in order to feel better about herself.

"I could learn a lot from you, you know," Aerith continued. "You're so strong and independent, while I feel so… reliant. If we spent more time together, maybe you'll rub off some of that on me. Only if you want to, of course…"

And there stood Yuffie, feeling smug and supercilious when her life in fact had hit _the_ lowest water mark in history. She was getting blackmailed. Because of sex. And she almost _never_ had sex. Oh _gawd_, this was just pure irony from the deepest depths of hell.

"If you only knew," she muttered with her nose deep down a glass of Bloody Mary.

"Knew what?"

"That strong and independent people like me sometimes make some of the worst mistakes in the whole friggin' world."

"I don't believe you!" she cried out in doubt. "What kind of mistakes?"

Now came the hard part. To admit that she – who saw her brain as one of the seven wonders – could do something _that_ stupid.

"You remember the bridal shower?"

Aerith nodded.

"Remember me disappearing?"

Another nod.

Yuffie took a deep swig of Aerith's wine to pluck up some courage. "I can't do this," she moaned to herself.

Aerith suspected a looming meltdown. "Yes, you can," she assured.

Taking in strength from her liquor, Yuffie steeled herself.

"Okay," she started. "As I left the bar, I called Genesis –you know, the really hot intern at my work? – and I asked him if I could drop by. Anyhow, some things led to another, and then…"

The next step required another gulp, and Yuffie felt it burn all the way down to the nervous heap that was her stomach.

"He taped me," she whimpered. "When we, you know…"

There was no judgement in Aerith's eyes, only a glow of admiration.

"Really?" she breathed. "How adventurous of you, Yuffie! I thought Scarlet was the only one of us to walk _the forbidden way_.

Adventurous? That was another way to look at it…

"I didn't know about it," Yuffie grumbled. "And what's worse is that he wants to do it again."

Aerith grabbed the second bowl of snacks. "The video-thing or the sex-thing?"

"The sex-thing."

"_Oh_. And if you refuse, he'll publish it on the internet? I hope it you don't look fat on that tape. Cameras add at least ten pounds, you know."

A shiver went through Yuffie, who hadn't thought about that detail.

"I'm supposed to be performing my final exam in a couple of weeks. Now I'm gonna become the gag of the decade. I _have_ to get my hands on that tape."

"Can't you buy it from him?"

"Nope. Already tried that one."

She'd gone through every possible solution to save her job. Blackmail, bribing, begging and murder. There was only one thing left to do. "I have to steal it," she stated.

"I have no reason not to believe you could pull something like that off, hun, but _if_ you got caught, it would still be the end of your career."

But Yuffie had already thought about that.

"That's why I have to hire someone."

"A private detective?"

Yuffie looked around them, making sure no one heard. "No, a professional. You know, a _real_ thief. But I have _so_ not a clue of where to find one."

"I know one," Aerith answered in a flash.

Astonished, Yuffie stared at her friend with renewed appreciation. "You really know criminals?"

With a cock of an eyebrow, Aerith smiled ruefully. "You meet a lot of different personalities when you work at Starbucks, actually. Meet me there at 10 am. He has his own table in the back of the room."

Yuffie considered her offer for a moment. It did sound kind of cool. "Do you know what he's dealing with? Drugs?"

She shook her head. "No, I think he's with the mafia."

The shock was too much. "_Seriously_? A real-life Mafioso?

"Yes. In my own little Starbucks."

Starbucks. That was quite a long way from the Godfather. Times sure had changed.

They ordered another round of drinks. The liquor made everything seem so logical. "You sure he's a real mob?"

"I saw his driver's license once, when he opened his pocket. His name's Reno Corlucci."

Yuffie still had her doubts though. "Just because he's got some fancy Gongagan name it doesn't mean something for sure…"

"Trust me, Yuffie. It's just one of those things women _know_."

A scientist would laugh his butt off by the sole mentioning of female intuition, but Aerith sure seemed certain about it. In any other case, Yuffie would have rejected that sort of reason with cold logic and scientific clarity. Two of the few things she'd inherited from her father.

But now, it all seemed so fantastic. The mafia. She'd always had a weak spot for Al Pacino.

Still, it wasn't what she'd had in mind from the start. Some cheap, creepy guy lurching around the mall would have been just fine. But when it all came down, did she have any choice?

This was her whole future at stake here. Her status as a career-woman and scientist. She'd give them all hell for trying to take all that away from her!

.........

"Aerith. Psst, Aerith!"

Aerith stared emptily at her from behind the espresso machine. This was _great_! Her make-over was a success. Yuffie's transformation into an uptown bimbo was flawless.

"How may I help you, ma'am?" Aerith asked her.

"It's me… Yuffs," she whispered while trying desperately to keep her short skirt where it was supposed to be.

A smile spread across Aerith's sweet face and she leaned over the counter. "It was all just a lie, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"All this men-hating business. Just _look_ at you," she giggled as her eyes took in the whole appearance before her. "It's like you just walked out of the center spread of whatever men's magazine you can think of!"

Not exactly the impression she'd been looking for. "Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"

Aerith finished mixing a cappuccino and pushed it over. "I didn't mean it like _any_ men's magazine. But one thing's for sure. You'll be having a hard time keeping the guys from the Ethics Department on arm's length!"

When Aerith thought she was being witty, they were in some real nasty trouble.

"Where is he?"

Aerith nodded to the area further in. "That's his table over there, but he's not here yet."

Yuffie, who'd been looking forward to meeting a real Mafioso felt slightly disappointed.

As she made her way towards the small table, she took her time to practice her walking. _Hips to the right, hips to the left, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle._ It had a hint of samba-rythm to it. Not that Yuffie knew how to dance samba, but if she could, she could imagine it would have the same tingly feeling she felt right now.

Three espressos later, he finally came through the doors. Yuffie knew it from the moment she saw him. This was the guy. The Mafioso. He moved with that special elegance. A man who could kill someone before the victim even knew he was there. Despite his lanky frame, he had the muscular build of someone with viciously raw strength, probably from carrying around corpses. All in all, a dangerous guy. A really, _really_ dangerous guy.

She stretched herself in her seat. Her back, chin and breasts came to their righteous places. She'd taken a class in body language and she knew what her body said right now. _Come on, light my fire, _was the same in all languages.

A cold stare from a pair of aquarious eyes landed on her.

_Oh oh._

The temperature lost at least ten degrees within the matter of a second. One second for her to realize what a dim-witted idea it had been.

He was going to kill her. He could undoubtedly hide a machine gun inside his coat and no one would notice. Or even worse, a strap. Unwillingly, her hand reached up to her throat.

Next she knew, the cold-blooded killer towered over her.

"You've got three seconds to get your cute little behind away from my table."

_My table, eh?_ She narrowed her eyes. Nothing could annoy a woman as much as conceited behavior, and Yuffie was no exception. She'd heard it all before, and she'd learned to bite back with the true strength of a woman who'd managed to solve the Maxwell-equation at the tender age of eighteen.

"I'm here in business so you might as well quit your glaring and get _your_ cute little behind down on that chair. Right now," she more or less hissed and gave him a sweet, innocent little smile. Fake, of course.

The ice in his eyes turned into heat. Damn, he was hot. Handsome in that Gongagan way that just screamed "_Casanova's my grandfather"_.

"Say what you have to say. It's a free country."

He dropped down on the chair beside her own, his legs unpleasantly parted. A position with the intent of drawing her attention more to his body than to his face.

"I want to hire your services."

His reaction was _not_ what she'd expected. His legs closed shut, his arms came to cross over his chest and his glare could've turned her to stone.

"You haven't even asked me what it's about yet!"

He moved his head to glare up the ceiling in lack of concern. "No."

This was _bad_. "I'll pay you," she whispered. "I'll pay you really good."

He turned to look at her once again.

"I'm not doing anything illegal," he said with the intonation that said anything against the law was another day at work for him.

"It's_ not_ that illegal. It concerns a certain property I want to have returned."

"To whom?," he asked.

"To me."

"Listen, if you're pissed off about some unsuccessful drug deal, this isn't the place to go to…"

"No drugs. A video-tape."

He frowned in suspicion. "Who's got the tape now?"

Yuffie pushed a small note across the table. The shithole Genesis' name and address were written in Ariel to avoid any mistakes. She'd seen it on Law & Order once.

"How much are we talking about?"

"Two hundred dollars."

Eyes turned cold again. "No."

Yuffie didn't push him to take it. Ordinary payrolls for thieves wasn't something you could google. "Two thousand."

For the sake of her future, she could deal with a dent in her savings. She needed muscles, and she was willing to pay for it.

The sudden spark of interest caught her eye, though he still shook his head. "No."

"Please!"

This was the closest she'd ever come to begging in her life, but she was desperate.

"How do you know there's just one tape?"

Yuffie closed her eyes and started to count to ten. It wasn't entirely easy, but she just had to deal.

"If there's more than one, it may need some…firmer methods. A broken leg. Or a real beating," she suggested, imagining the screams of pain. The pictures brought a smile to her lips.

"No way," came the answer and the screams in her head came to an abrupt stop.

"Oh," she sighed in defeat. "But you'll take the job, right?" she asked him as the bell above the door rang and a large man entered… He looked like a big bear with his dark skin and twinkled eyebrows behind the largest shades she'd ever seen.

Yuffie looked around in search of Aerith, but she was nowhere to be found. Where was the moral support when she needed it?

Slowly, the large man paced toward her.

"We're done now," Reno told her as if she was nothing but a nano-particle in the air.

As she realized Mr. Big Guy wasn't out to kill her, but more likely one of his colleagues, she rose from her seat.

"You're taking it?"

He didn't answer, just grabbed her arm so he could drag her down in his lap.

_Wow._

And he kissed her. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my_ gawd_!

He broke the kiss off before she got the chance to make a complete _bamboozle_ of herself, which was a good thing. Then he slapped her on the butt and whispered in her ear.

"You've gotta get out of here…now. Meet me here tomorrow at ten. I'll help you. And no talking to anyone."

Like she could talk about this to anyone!

For a moment, she stared at him in an attempt to read his thoughts. But there was no "bone cracking" cold or any "_cara mia_"-heat. Just… curiosity.

She blinked once, and – _poof!_ – the icy stare was back again.

"I'll see you around," he said and slapped her once more.

She could've killed him, right there and then, but that would've put a halt in her plans.

With a glance over her shoulder, she noticed Mr. Big Guy was pretty much shadowing the whole table by now.

"Okay, okay," she muttered, just to make sure he knew that even if he was the most important person in her life for the moment – her only savior – it didn't mean she liked him one bit!

...

......

...

......

...

......

...

So... What'd you think? As you've noticed, I chose to portrait a more mature side of Yuffie that shows her arrogance and cynical personality, but that also holds the fort of a still very young and very lonely girl. We'll see more of her complex personality later. But as mature as she is, she still has the ability to, more or less, make a fool of herself.  
If you get any bashing signals according to Aerith, they are not intentional! I just decided to let her take on a very motherly but quite naïve role. Frankly, I think it suits her really well.

I have no idea what more I can say so early into the story, but I do want to throw out some love already. To vinnie2757, for always asking wierd questions and who never says no when I ask her to read something. To my cousin, in whom's apartment this story sprung to life (I took care of her cats while the brat went to Gran Canaria). To Valentine'sNinja (though she might never read this), because she's such an inspiration for me. And last, and probably most, to Patrick. No one has supported me so much in my writing as he has, and as soon as I get rid of this cold, I want to get cozy with you and a large cup of coffee...

With love


	2. Dressed for Success

Chapter two have arrived!

...

_Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Square Enix_

...

_Warnings: Language_

**...........**

**...**

**Dressed for Success**

**...**

**...........**

**...**

Reno Corlucci struggled not to smile. What a woman! She was the kind of girl who could make a guy forget his own name.

But Reno rarely forgot anything. Pure self-preservation kept his mind sharp. Only reason he'd kissed the girl was to avoid unnecessary questions in his partner's presence.

Still, despite all his razory sharpness, she'd attracted his attention... Amongst other things.

He looked after her on her way out, smirking at the exaggerated wiggling of her hips. This smelled trap long way, and that made him worried.

Reno tore his eyes off of the mysterious woman and her wiggling hips and let his gaze settle on the now talking man before him – Rude Romano.

"Who's the pudding?"

"A plausible bed warmer. I've got to try her out to see what she goes for."

His rigid partner nodded. "I'd take her anytime."

Reno stretched out his legs where he sat in order to appear laid-back, like a man taking a cup of coffee, nothing more. "You've seen her here before?"

Rude scratched his bald head.

"Looks a little like Sephiroth's ex, but she wasn't blonde. Looks a bit weird on her, those dark eyes…"

Definitively weird. Reno didn't trust _anyone_. If you did, it'd only end up getting you killed. "But she's pretty hot, yo. You can't deny that."

"I want lanky chicks. With _long_ legs."

Reno leered at him. "I bet women will commit murder just to be with _you_…"

The black man raised his hands in defeat. "Women are nice, but I'm just an amateur compared to a Casanova like you."

Reno kept quiet. To not talk about chicks strengthened the character of the person he wanted others to think he was…just a rueful smirk every now and then was enough. And right now he had the smirk of a man thinking of his latest addition to his black book.

"I haven't seen Tseng for a while," he said and changed the subject. "Where's he gone to? The East Coast?"

"Don't know. Boss haven't told me anything," Rude answered, looking out towards the street. "Come on, let's go to Castello's."

That was a good sign. Reno was yet to gain access to the "inner circle", but an invitation to Castello's meant that The Boss had started to trust him.

He dragged himself up from the chair. This was the biggest problem with being tall. The rest of the humankind held _no_ sympathy for his need of leg-room…

Walking towards the door, he caught sight of a patrolling officer stepping through the door. Badge 485. They'd gone to police school together. Pulling on his coat, he made sure to keep his face turned away as he left Starbucks. Rude never noticed.

...

Yuffie studied herself in the back-mirror as she entered the highway. Damn, she'd forgotten to remove the mascara. Hopefully no one at work would notice the quite heavy amount. She had never been one to use much make up, she only wore it on special occasions, such as weddings and – nowadays - when she dressed up as a bimbo.

Neither one of said occasions worked out very well with her personality.

Interesting men like Reno Corlucci would never notice Yuffie in her own world. She wasn't important enough, hot enough. Nothing like him. He was the complete opposite to her, to Genesis the Freak, and one hell of a kisser.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself as to the fact that the man was a _gangster_, an acquaintance that very possibly would lead to _more_ trouble, and Leviathan knew she didn't need any of that. By the time she'd parked her car on the parking lot outside the research-center, she'd made up her mind. She had no reason to expose her life of danger. She would be better off if she just forgot all about Reno Corlucci.

_And I won't be disappointed because of it_, she told herself while opening the heavy front door of the complex and entered the entry hall. The Research Center of Astrophysics. This was her _home_.

She wandered through the same corridors where so many famous scientists had walked before her. Her place was at the 7th floor, where she was working on a massive digital mapping of the universe. A survey of cosmos. This was all that Yuffie wanted…to work with the stars. Ever since she was a kid, sitting on the roof, gazing up at them –ever since her mother had joined them.

Every morning, her schedule was the same. Start up the computer. Check the mail. (Empty.) Log in to MSN messenger.

_Shalua: Offline_

_Reeve: Offline_

_Teef: Offline_

Oh, right. Tifa was on her honeymoon. To freaking _Wutai_. Broody over not having anyone to talk to, she glanced around the floor.

Damn, Genesis was there. His computer blinked ghostly in the fluorescent light from the ceiling lights. Naturally, he just _couldn't_ be sick today. She'd hoped he'd catch on some semi-serious illness, maybe even a virus that just so happened to make him so disoriented he'd give her the tape back willingly. (She'd seen that on TV once.)

Sadly, when he stepped up to her desk ten minutes later, he still looked repulsively healthy. With the clear-sighted vision of her sober self, she noticed the weak chin, the pearl-shaped eyes and the constant shifting of his gaze. Gawd, how could she have been so _blind_?

Suddenly, he winked at her. Winked _meaningly_. As if she'd be happy so see him.

Holding a coffee cup in his hand, he raised it in a cheer as he came closer.

"Good morning, Ms. Kisaragi. Will I be enjoying your company tonight?"

Her glare could have sent him directly to hell. "Go fuck yourself, Genesis."

"I love it when you get aggressive," he smirked and then raised his voice. "_Oh, yes. Right there… "_

She'd really said that? Thank Leviathan, she'd been too drunk to remember. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I've got friends, Genesis. Friends that could hurt you. Badly. So I wouldn't be so quick with my bullshit if I were you."

He leaned closer with a new callousness in his eyes. "Do you think this is a joke? You're wrong. You'll see your career get sucked into a black hole unless you work with me here. That presentation for Professor Hollander? I'll bring the tape to that meeting."

"I can go to Hollander right now and charge you for sexual harassment!"

"Oh, really?" he asked curiously. "What is truly most important for you? Justice? Or your position and career within the academy?"

Yuffie stared at him as she suddenly saw him in all his disgusting… whatever unmentionable thing he was. "What's wrong with you? You used to be a pretty nice guy, but now you're just a complete freak show. Have you ever seen what an unfiltered ray of UV-sunlight can do to human tissue? It could be worth a closer look. What do you say… wanna disappear into history?"

Genesis raised his coffee to his mouth, seemingly indifferent to her threat.

"Does this mean I'll see you tonight? I have to work a few extra hours, but for you, I'd be glad to wait."

Wait? He'd have to wait until hell froze over!

"I have a date with my boyfriend," she said.

"You have no boyfriend, Yuffie. Don't you remember?"

She quirked her eyebrow in a very queen-like way. "Don't think you know everything about me."

"Fine, I'll let you have your little fun. You're off the hook tonight. I'll even give you the rest of the week, but on Monday…"

He let the unfinished sentence speak for itself as he put a finger under her chin.

She shrugged at his touch and for the hundredth of times she asked herself what hell she'd gotten herself into.

"You watch too many shitty movies, Genesis."

He walked off and sat down by his computer with a smile. Within a few seconds his loudspeakers filled the floor with moans and deep breaths. More than a few heads turned towards them´

Furiously, she bashed her shaking fist down her desk. "Turn that _off_!"

"Monday night, then?"

As if! Yuffie glared at him. "We'll see," she mumbled ambiguously.

...

It was pitch dark outside. The rental apartment complex was located in the worn down blocks of Midgar. Hopefully, for them, this area had no security-system.

Yuffie reached for her torch as they sneaked around the corner.

"You ready?" she whispered over her shoulder.

"Are you _sure_ we should do this?" Aerith wondered nervously from behind.

"I don't have any other choice."

"Yes, you do. Hire Reno."

"He's too expensive."

"Maybe. But expensive means he's good."

"I can do this," Yuffie answered in confidence as she found the old emergency stairs. Bingo.

Yuffie pulled down the ladder with a bone cracking screech. "I read about burglaries on the web. And I've seen Entrapment like ten times."

She heard Aerith sigh in defeat. This wasn't the time to try and stop her. She was on a mission. A few minutes of rummaging her bag, and she pulled out her lubricating-oil with a victorious smile. A quick spray and the ladder was as quiet as the lab on a Sunday.

"Okay, now what?" Aerith whispered.

Quickly, they climbed up to the ledge of the first floor. Yuffie lit up the window to her right.

"If we lift it straight upwards, we'll get it open."

"I'll take the other side," Aerith offered.

Yuffie put the torch aside and took a firm grip on her side. "One, two, three. Lift."

They did.

Nothing happened.

Yuffie took a deep breath. "Okay, one more time. One, two, three. _Lift_."

Still nothing.

"Can't we just break it, or something?" Aerith panted.

They took in the thick silence around them. "Nope. Someone might hear us."

"Maybe we could try the door? It could be unlocked."

She did have a point in that.

They climbed down and walked through the vestibule. Yuffie tried the door-knob to Genesis' apartment.

Locked.

Aerith started to get really anxious now. "We can't to this," she whispered. "Come on, let's go home. You have to let Reno do this."

Damn!

Yuffie sunk to the wall, forced to face the truth. Her life would shatter into nothing unless she could get that damned tape, and the Mafioso Reno Corlucci seemed to be the only solution to her problem.

A sigh rose from the bottom of her heart. "Okay, then."

"You want to go get a beer?"

"Soda's good enough for me," she answered, thinking of what'd had happened the last time she'd gone out to party.

She took a look at her outfit. Hoodie and jeans, all in black. "Don't you think we should change?"

"Absolutely not," Aerith said and shook her head. "Black's really in right now…"

...

Saturday morning, Yuffie put on her blonde wig and went through her closet from top to bottom to find a pair of stiletto-heeled boots that would go well with her bimbo-look.

She had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Angrily she pummeled her hand into the doorframe, immidietly regretting her move since it hurt like hell. _Smart, Yuffs. Real smart_. Her alter ego needed a new closet if she wanted to continue with her masquerade. Which she would. She was going to have to talk to Scarlet about that. When it came to gaudyness and cheap elegance, fashion-victim Scarlet was the one to go to.

She massaged her sore hand. There was only one reason to why she lost her temper like this. Sex.

And only one way to fix it. _She would never have sex again._

If nuns could do it, so could she.

The thought had barely settled until she felt the tingle of doubt in her chest, a doubt sprung from the dreams of a certain redheaded Reno Corlucci she'd had practically every night.

She resolutely pushed all qualms to the back of her head. If Reno ever met the real Yuffie Kisaragi, he wouldn't even spare her a glance, so the dreams were all she had.

Three hours later, after a crash course at the mall with Scarlet, she presented herself at Aerith's, dressed to her neck in an outfit that immediately drew all attention to her.

She ordered a latte and settled down at Reno's table. Fully prepared for all eventualities, she pulled up the latest edition of _Scientific American _– discreetly hidden inside an old copy of _Playgirl_ – and leaned backwards for some stimulating reading.

Half an hour later, he showed up. As she watched him walk in through the door, she felt the same tingling she'd felt the first time she'd seen him. What was it with him that made her react like this? Was it the tall, agile body that moved so gracefully? The mysticism in those turquoise eyes? Whatever it was, it scared her shitless. Yuffie didn't like it when men had this kind of power over her. She was arrogant enough to believe she could walk through life on her own. And everything would have been just fine if it weren't for Genesis. And Reno Corlucci. Maybe she was just doomed to be stupid when it came to men.

No, enough with the self-pitying. After emptying her cup, she rose with a cock of her brow.

"You're late," she snapped.

An amused smile lit up his bright eyes. "If I'd known you were so…eager, I'd come earlier," he answered, leering down at the magazine in her hand. "A little frivolous reading, eh?"

"I only read it for the articles," she responded and pulled a face when she noticed the cover…_Seven fantastic positions to reach the ultimate O._

"Do we have a deal?" she added with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders.

He towered his lanky body over hers, somehow managing to look unbelievably hot in his un-tucked shirt and wrinkly suit.

"Sure, but there's a little something I need."

In that moment of true male hotness, Yuffie could've promised him anything.

"What?"

"Female escort for a few hours. Just for company, nothing more."

Anything – _anything_ – but that. "Can I think about it?"

He shrugged. "Then there's no deal."

She could've stomped her foot in rage. Instead, she adjusted her miniskirt. "Are you saying that you're willing to walk away from two thousand dollars, just because I don't wanna hang on your arm like some freaking decoration?"  
He met her gaze serenely. "Yes."

She stretched out every inch of her 5.2 foot body and glared at him with hostility. He was at least one foot taller than her, but somehow, she still managed to stare him down.

"What kind of tough guy are you, really?"

_Bull's eye_. He shifted his gaze uncomfortably.

"Okay, we'll do it your way," he finally agreed.

She didn't feel like an exulting woman, just like a stupid bimbo, but she kept going. "This is a business deal, Mr. Corlucci, one fourth of the money in advance, one fourth after the first visit at Genesis, and the rest when you hand me the tape."

"Acting professional, are we?" he smirked.

"It's a job, nothing more," she told him.

"Of course, Ms…? I never got your name."

"Jones. Foxy Jones." _Oh my god, how lame was _that_? _

Reno leered at her. So the name was fake, but did he _have_ to laugh at her because of it? "So do I say Foxy, or Ms. Jones?"

"Whatever you want. When can you get the tape?"

"Not tonight. I'm going to a wedding."

"_Wedding_?" she asked incredulously.

How oddly domestic of him. But of course, Italians were extremely family-oriented after all.

"I need a girl for the night…Foxy," he purred sinfully.

Her heart pounded like crazy. "Hang on a minute," she said as much to herself as to him.

"Don Corneo's getting married," he ignored her. "And I'm invited."

"No, I mean, don't call me_ Foxy_."

"I thought that was your name?"

"It's a nickname. Call me… Yuffie."

Her real name was in fact Yuffisca. It was her father who'd started to call her Yuffie, stating Yuffisca sounded too fancy for a little girl.

"So… Yuffie," Reno managed to drag out the few syllables in it.

"Don't wear it out," she snapped. "So, are you going to get me that tape tonight?"

"Will your…friend be out tonight?"

Yuffie didn't want to think about what Genesis did at night. "How the heck would I know?"

"Do you know when he's usually away from home, then?"

"He works the regular nine to five-office hours, Monday to Friday."

"So he's home at night? That means I'm free tonight. Would you accompany me to the wedding? As a date, not a business deal."

"I don't have anything to wear."

"I'll cut down my fee with five hundred dollars. Go buy…" his eyes wandered up and down her body, over her hips, her chest, arms and legs."…something nice."

"Okay. But this is _not _a real date," she countered.

He looked a little insulted for some reason, but nodded his agreement. "As you wish. I'll pick you up at your place?"

"_No!_"

Gaia forbid he found out where she lived. It was bad enough that he knew her name.

"I'll meet you here."

"Okay. Five thirty. I have to buy a wedding gift."

A wedding gift? Going shopping in two-inched heels would _kill_ her! "You really need my company for that?"

"I don't know, but Corneo said something about the Nibelheim Gallery. I hate that place, but you with you as a distraction, I just might survive it."

Yuffie turned her back on him. She was half-way to the door when his deep voice travelled across the room.

"I'll see you tonight then – _Sassy_."

...

Nibelheim Gallery was not the place where a hot-blooded, virile man should be at a Saturday night. It felt awkward, almost humiliating. But Don Corneo requested wedding gifts, and this seemed to be the place to go.

"Did they tell you anything about what they want?" Yuffie asked him.

He'd picked her up at Starbuck's, and she'd almost knocked him out with the dress she was wearing – a short thing in white silk that could make any man's fingers twitch in their eagerness to examine exactly_ how_ short it was. Yuffie wasn't the most…endowed of women in the breasts-department, but her curves were pretty hot. Somehow, she managed to look just right. If he ever got her naked, he'd take his time exploring all those neat lines of hers.

"I have a wish list," he said and handed her a note.

They stopped walking while she read through the paper and he let his gaze roam over her. Who the hell was she? She walked remarkably wobbly in those high heels, and she was so different from all the other women of her kind. But, _damn_, she could kiss though.

Perhaps someone had brought on the heavy artillery in an attempt to bring him down, one of those seemingly innocent chicks that in reality knew everything there was about sex. It was possible that "they", whoever "_they_" were, knew of Reno's weak spot. Sure, it was every man's weak point, but still…

"Waterford crystal," she read out loud. "Emperal Wutain porcelain. Only quality-stuff."

"Okay," he said, as if he knew exactly what she was talking about.

She looked around them and steered their steps towards the inner parts of the mall.

Reno kept himself a few steps as he let his eyes rest on her wiggling hips. For being so short, she sure had legs that went on forever. The blonde hair was definitively a wig, but there was no disguise in her face. It was heart-shaped with a delicate structure, and the depth in her incredibly dark eyes never ceased to captivate him. They radiated with arrogance…and mystique. And Reno loved mysteries, even though they always got him in trouble.

They wandered on and on between the shelves.

"Can you find something good?" he wondered.

"How much can it cost?" she asked him over her shoulder.

Good question. His budget was a bit strained, but he had to act as if he had money…though not too much of it.

"A couple of hundreds."

That felt safe.

A female shop assistant came up to them. "Can I help you with something?"

Yuffie didn't hesitate for a second. "We want a gravy boat."

"Gift-wrapped or delivered?"

"Wrapped."

"This will take a while," the assistant apologized. "At least half an hour. Our wrapping-section is a bit overwhelmed at the moment."

Reno glanced down at his watch. He couldn't arrive without a gift, even if it meant they wouldn't get there in time.

"We'll wait," he said and turned to Yuffie. "We can go get some coffee while we wait."

After settling the price and arranged all details, they took off to the coffee shop.

"So, what do you do on your free-time?" Reno asked, sipping on his espresso.

"Read. Watch TV. Go to the movies."

That sounded almost normal. Except for the reading. Reno couldn't remember the last time he'd grabbed a book.

"I like movies," he blurted out.

She smiled politely at him as if she said; _"That's sounds nice, but don't let it go to your head."_

Damn it, she knew exactly how to thread down on his most honest intentions. Well, maybe they weren't all that honest, but if she was a bait from his enemies, she'd know what was what. It was part of the game.

If only he could forget all about this game of theirs. She was charismatic and exciting in a combination that lured his appetite more than any other woman had for quite a while.

But maybe it was to be accounted for. Working under cover was frustrating when it came to his sex-life.

"You think you can try to get the video-tape tomorrow?"

Ah, the mystifying video. They always came back to that. Question was if it even existed.

"I'll take a look on Monday, while he's at work."

"Why not try it tonight?"

"I thought your friend was home tonight," he said, wondering if it he was supposed to get caught during the heist.

She crossed her legs so that her dress crept even further up her legs. Once again, different parts of him reacted as if on commission. Damn.

"Maybe so," she answered indifferently. "Okay, we'll make it Monday. Here's a cell phone-number. It's subscription-free, so no one can trace it."

He gave her a smile.

"You've really thought this through."

"Of course I have."

"What's so special about that tape?"

"It should never have been recorded in the first place."

That was new.

"It got too daring? You're trying to become an actress, aren't you?"

He prayed to god she wasn't. She'd never make it.

"Actress? Who do you think I am? Some stupid bimbo? You men are all the same!"

Reno hid a smile. Stupid blonde bimbos was obviously a sensitive subject.

Nothing more was said for a while, since Yuffie was otherwise occupied with sending him death glares.

"I think we can go get the gift now," Reno said in order to break the ice. For a moment he contemplated helping her up from the chair, but she'd made things clear that she preferred doing everything on her own, so he settled with watching her instead.

She unfolded her legs, which had been pressed in under the ridiculously low table. It was so obvious by looking at her body language that she didn't want to be there. For a few seconds her walk was quick and fluid, then it changed, and she started that hilarious wiggle. It wasn't pretty, but he'd be damned if she didn't turn him on with all that squirming. It had some peculiar rhythm to it. Just when he thought he'd gotten the beat, she changed it with an extra wiggle to the other direction.

There was nothing disturbing with a man watching how a chick walked, right? The alarming voice in his head that had kept him alive for the last two years had some objections, but Reno chose not to listen.

...

Yuffie swore to herself. Her sandalettes where rubbing her skin off. She'd really dressed up for this evening. Sexy, but not too provocative. At least she hoped it wasn't. Everytime she glanced over at Reno, she caught him staring at her with a puzzled look on his face, puzzled with a hint of heat.

A heat that both bothered and attracted her.

She wasn't so sure which one was worst, or, in all honesty, if she even cared. She just needed the tape, and then all of this would be over.

And she'd never see Reno Corlucci again.

That thought brought on a whole new wave of emotions – worrying emotions – and she threw a glance over the shoulder.

"Can't you hurry it up a little?"

"Sorry," he said and they hurried up the stairs towards the little chapel.

They arrived barely ten minutes before the ceremony started. As they opened the door, the bridal marsh began and everyone rose to see the bride. It got Yuffie thinking of Tifa's wedding. Tifa would be home in a week, but the sex-tape and Reno was something she intended to keep to herself. Admittedly, Aerith did know about it, but it would be totally different to confide in Tifa, who'd never let her forget about it.

She looked at Reno. He looked good in a tux. Too good. She hurriedly looked elsewhere just so he wouldn't catch her staring.

The chapel was filled with men in tuxes, women with extraordinary hair-does and screaming babies. Every now and then some shady men nodded towards Reno. He answered with a short nod, seemingly some sort of greeting within the mob.

Why couldn't she be scared of him? It was a mystery she wasn't set on solving at the moment, but as soon as she got home, she'd settle down in front of her TV to watch Joe Pesci and _Goodfellas_.

Finally, the ceremony was over and she could focus on more important things, like trying to walk straight.

The reception was hosted a couple of blocks away and – of course – everybody walked. She'd borrowed the dress and the shoes from Scarlet, and while the dress was okay, her shoes were one size too small. She stumbled, and Reno grabbed her arm to steady her. It was the briefest of touches, but she felt hot all over within a second.

"You okay?" he wondered when they reached their destination, and they where no longer alone. Yuffie straightened, concentrated on her aching foot, all the while swearing eternal condemnation on all men.

The reception was decorated with lit candles and roses. Reno led her to the bar and ordered two glasses of wine.

For a few minutes, they just stood there, listening to the music, while she sipped on her drink. He left his own untouched.

The orchestra began the first notes of an old ballad and Reno turned to her. "Dance with me."

Preferably, she'd stay away from the dance floor, her feet were killing her. "I can't."

He shrugged. "Your loss," he said. "But it'll look weird of we're the only ones who skips over all the dances."

She witnessed the sad glint in his eyes, as if she'd just destroyed his favourite toy. _Men!_

"Oh, okay then! But only one dance," she said, trying to persuade herself it was only to make him a favour.

That was right, Yuffie Kisaragi, always ready to lend a helping hand. Why? Because he was so hot.

But when she stepped into his arms the world around them disappeared. He didn't have to ask her to come closer, her body did it instinctively. They moved across the floor, so without the slightest of effort that Yuffie forgot all about her feet.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he said, his mouth millimetres away from her ear.

And Yuffie Kisaragi, the explorer of a thousand stars, with the master's degree in astrophysics and more than halfway through her doctorate degree, with an IQ at 175 and with the knowledge of more cosmic developments than Superman could ever dream of, started purring like a cat...

...

.........

...

.........

...

**A/N: **This was from the beggining chapter two AND three, but the shortness of them bugged me so I forged them into one. Next week, we'll continue with the wedding. I can tell you already, it's going to get quite interesting! More characters will be introduced and there will be more heat and heated arguments between Reno and Yuffie.

I don't really have much to say here, I'm so tired I could just lay down and die right now...

Please please, leave a review!

...


	3. Lost In Transfusion

This chapter required quite a lot of research, since I'm obviously not an astrophysician, and a crash course in Italian. I tried do tone it down as much as I could while still attempting to make it sound smart enough for folks to have no idea what the hell is being said. Don't know if it's a success, but I sure as hell don't understand. If I got something vitally wrong, then I'm sorry, but I'm only human after all. Also, a big hug to Vico for being a walking dictionary!

...

_Warnings: Language_

_..._

.........

...

**Lost In Transfusion**

...

Some women were destined to wake suspicion. Like women in disguise. Women who'd pretend to be someone, but turns out to be someone else.

But while Reno held Yuffie in his arms, his distrust flew away into the void.

She'd give him trouble, he knew that. It was just that his brain refused to see this small detail.

At this moment, the only thing he wanted was to leave with her, to something a little more casual than a wedding in the precence of half the New York mob, as well as Rufus Shinra, also known as The Boss.

Everyone here had false names and secret lives. Including Reno, including Yuffie. _Everyone._ And he hated it. Just for once, he wanted to be normal. Alone with a woman, with no disguise whatsoever, to do what normal men and women do. But they couldn't, since he had both a false identity and a hidden weapon, and she had a big blonde wig.

_Damn this shit!_

Reno pulled her closer, trying to burn the scent of her perfume into his memory. It was like sex on a bottle. Spicy, yet sweet. And it made his blood boil.

In one corner of the bar, a group of men had assembled, The Boss in the middle. Reno knew this was his big chance, his opportunity to become one of them – a trusted mafioso.

But Yuffie's warmth distracted him from his duties. Couldn't he, just once, be one of the good guys?

Voices kept buzzing around them like flies in August, and he wished he could tell them all to go to hell, far away from Yuffie and him.

As a kid, he'd used to smash his fist into the wall whenever he got angry. Sadly, no one can strike a hole through the whole world.

Instead he noticed the glowing lamp above the back door. He maneuvered them around the floor, closer and closer to the blessed door.

They ended up in an alley next to an old neglected baseball field. Not the most romantic of places, but for the moment, it offered a safe haven for Reno. Here he could be Reno Cordano for a while, a man walking the narrow path. His alter ego, Reno Corlucci, was the man who kept going on a much broader, more rocky road.

They strolled up to the baseball field, and Yuffie leaned herself against a forgotten bench where MH loved PL 4EVER.

"This is nice" he said, pulling of his coat to drape it over her shoulders.

She looked up at him, eyes filled with both trust and contemplation. For being a girl under cover, she absolutely _sucked_ at hiding her feelings, and he thanked his lucky star for that. Then she smiled at him, nervously and uncertain, but still the biggest smile he'd ever seen – and he was lost.

There was just one thing he had to convince himself of. One last question. "Why'd you come to me? Who tipped you?"

She blinked. Once. Twice.

"A friend of me runs that Starbuck's facility," she answered a second later. "You scare her shitless, and she figured you'd make about the same impression on Genesis."

That was the simple explaination. Yuffie wasn't some bait to lure him into a trap, she just really needed some help.

"Thanks for running away with me," he said.

"I like being outside. Just look at that sky," she responded, gazing longingly towards the sky.

"Yeah, it's real big," he said and scowled to himself at how utterly stupid he'd sounded.

"Hundreds of billions of stars," she sighed and he blinked in surprise.

"Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that."

She lifted her arm and pointed to a place far, far away from every mafioso in New York. "There's Venus and the moon in a straight line. You see?"

He moved up close behind her and followed the indication of her arm towards a lone star, shining at the left of the moon.

When she put her arm back down, he stayed where he was, fascinated by her, by how much she changed just by talking about the stars in the sky.

"You really like astronomy, huh?"

She took a step back, so close to him that all he had to do was to take a deep breath and they'd touch.

"You get some perspective on a lot of things."

Ah, now he knew where she was going. "This is the talk about how we're all just grains of sand in the desert of humankind, isn't it?"

She shook her head fiercely and he wondered what color her hair was beneath the waving wig.

"No," she answered. "There's constants and there's small variables. Universe expands, time slows down and speeds up, but all those changes doesn't matter in the long run. Our rotation around the sun, the moon's path, that'll never change. It's all bound to the rules of the game between static and dynamic forces."

Though he didn't understand a word she said, he could've listened to the sound of her voice for hours. Sure, she used some pretty funky words, but this was the closest thing he'd had to a normal conversation for the last two years, and it wasn't until now he realized how much he'd missed it.

"Both a philosopher and an astronomer," he mumbled.

"It's not philosophy, it's physichs."

"Who _are_ you?" he asked and she turned around towards him.

"Someone you wouldn't want to know," she answered, blowing some stray strands of hair away from her face.

"What if I would?"

Caught under his curious eyes, she turned her face back to the sky, as if she could find her answer somewhere up there. Then she gestured to the door they'd emerged from a moment earlier. "That's not my world."

It sure as hell wasn't her world, but she believed it was his. Reno swore to himself. Most of all, he wanted to tell her it wasn't his either. But in all honesty, he had to confess that it actually _was_ his world now and no matter how fast he'd run, he could never escape it. He shook the nightmares of his past away, took forth his knife and started to carve her name onto the wheather-beaten wood of the bench – an ancient way of telling the world that you cared.

She followed him curiously.

"That's me, isn't it?" she breathed.

Reno almost regretted it. Maybe she thought it was complete high school-nerdness. But he wanted a part of his innocence back, and she offered it to him, wether she knew it or not.

He hesitated after finishing her name. He wanted to put his name above hers, bind them together, but such a gesture could put her in danger. That was a risk he wasn't prepared to take.

"Yuffie?" he said and somehow managed to get a thousand of hidden meanings into the simplicity of her name.

He wasn't asking for much, just a small taste of a fruit that should be forbidden for him. _One small kiss._ It was all he wanted. Just to feel pure for once. Just as a memory.

He had no idea if it was because of his appealing intonation, or the stars, or some other mystical force between them, and frankly, he didn't give a shit. All that mattered was that she turned to him.

He knew her taste, remembered the kiss at Starbucks. But that had been on pretend. This was as real as it could get.

Her face felt so small between his hands, and his lips chrashed onto hers before she could pull away. Whatever magic powers there was in a night like this, he could feel it with her. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to his body, forming herself to match his body's angularity so that they came closer than he'd ever thought possible.

She was above all things false and artificial. His body craved after her, after her touch. But Reno was so scared of breaking their fragile enchantment he couldn't bring himself to move away.

Time slowed down, just like she'd said, and he did nothing but kiss her. She melted into him without the slightest hint of uncertainty. For once, he didn't have to pretend or act like someone else… He could be himself.

With every passing second he felt his true self return, long since forgotten feelings came to life and filled him with something true and warm. Freedom, escape, it was all as delightful as she was.

_Crash._

The door flew open and angry voices filled the silent alley. It hit him like a cold shower, reminding him of who he was and who he wasn't.

Reno pulled away from their embrace, and the faint flash of another life slipped through his fingers. He felt the mask of calculating coldness return. This stupid dream of his had almost swallowed him whole.

Yuffie stared up at him, lips swollen and slightly parted. An ebony lock of hair had escaped from under the blonde wig, a dark reminder of how nothing was what it appeared to be. The bitter truth gave him an acid taste in his mouth.

Two shadows danced in the doorway. "You fucking asshole! If you ever put your horny ass inside our home again I'll…"

_Smack!_

It was definitly a clenched fist coming in close contact with human tissue, probably a nose. Reno's hands balled up and adrenaline shot though his veins. But in an act of well-trained self-discipline he slowly counted to three and pushed his anger back.

Reno knew this sound far too well and listened to how the woman's anger turned to cries.

This was the rotten truth about the men in his circle…They never interfered a fight to help someone. Only fools did something so stupid.

Yuffie started to move, but he held her back. This was his job. His world. _Just another day at work._ When framing Rufus Shinra for organized swindle, you couldn't allow oneself to punch him in the face, however good it might feel.

Rufus' wife, Elena, appeared from the shadows. She pressed a blood-tainted napkin to her face, her whole body shaking with surpressed sobs. The door slammed shut and Elena was left alone. Apparently, Rufus considered his point was made.

Yuffie walked up to the woman, taking a package of paper tissues from her handbag and passed it to her without a word.

Without really knowing what to do, Reno placed himself by the doorway. He didn't have a clue in handling crying women, but he did know how to hold anothers back. And tonight, it was Yuffie's.

...

Never in her life had Yuffie seen so much blood. (Well, once she had, but that was in kindergarten when a small boy got attacked by a dog, that was about it though.)

She put her arm around the crying woman's shoulders.

"What's your name?" she asked, hoping to distract her enough to stop crying her eyes out.

"Elena."

"Elena, eh? That's a great name. Who did this to you, Elena?"

Elena sobbed. "My husband. The bastard. You'd think he could handle his dirty affairs with a little more discretion, but no…"

Lawfully wedded husbands weren't good. At all. Yuffie shook her head. "You can't go home with him. I'll help you to the hospital."

"I don't need no damn hospital. My nose isn't broken, it just bleeds like a freaking waterfall."

Elena pressed another napkin to her face.

"Anyhow, you can't go home," Yuffie pointed out with the patience that came with having two totally over-sensitive best friends.

"I'll do what I always do. Check in at Nibelheim Hotel and let him worry."

It sounded so routined, so normal, so…wrong. "You're not going to go back to him, right?" Yuffie asked, trying not to sound condemning.

"It's the closest thing to a home I've got," Elena answered. "And besides, I _did_ love him once."

Yuffie searched for the right words. Boyfriend-issues she could handle, and any work related crisis. But this? This was a whole other galaxy! "You wanna talk about it?"

"No, I can't do that," the bloodied woman shook her head, turning back towards the closed door.

"Don't go back inside. Stay out here a while. We're not going anywhere, right?" she said with a charming smile at Reno, who in turn shook his head.

"It's not a pretty story," Elena told her, but slowly moved away from the door.

"If there's a man in the picture, it's aways ugly."

"Damn right it is…"

And there, with her back against the wall, Elena began talking.

Every now and then sobs broke through, but Yuffie patted her calmingly on the arm and listened. When her story finally was finished, and her tears had stopped falling, Elena once again prepared to go back inside.

"Don't you think you should be somewhere else, just for tonight?" Yuffie called out behind her.

Elena turned and smiled. "You're so kind, listening to my whining. Sadly, this is the only life I've got," she said, and after drying her eyes, she turned to Reno with a steady gaze. "You treat her well, you understand?"

Reno nodded and took charge of the now much calmer situation. He made a quick call and handed her some cash. "Go someplace where you can get a shower and maybe some booze. The taxi's here any minute."

"Elena, there are places you can turn to," Yuffie tried.

"No thanks, not for me. But thanks for the help."

Yuffie wished Reno could back her up in this, but the man she'd kissed was long gone, replaced by a "cleaner", used to taking care of other's dirty business.

Quietly, they made their way to the lit up streets to meet up with the cab. Reno helped Elena inside and closed the door. Why didn't he care?

Yuffie saw the taxi speed off and turned to Reno. "Why didn't you try to convince her? She should go to a women's rescue center."

His mouth pressed into an austere line and he pushed his hands down his pockets. "This is Midgar, not some suburbian idyll. I can't stop people from making bad choices, only make them feel a little better about making them."

Oh, what an attitude!

"I just don't _get _it! How can you let her go back to that asshole?"

The dim light of the street lamp fell on his lanky feature, and even though he was dressed to his teeth in smoking, he seemed to belong in these shady quarters. And now his indifference pissed her off more than anything.

Not bothering to wait for an answer, she turned on her heels and started walking. What the hell had made her think she could do this? Cause he'd kissed her? Because every now and then he looked at her with that deep, soulful gaze?

No.

His way of looking at her made her feel wanted. And in his eyes she saw a reflection of herself. A girl she'd never bothered to get to know before.

As they walked down the street, he kept himself protectively close. That was also something new. No one had ever considered Yuffie Kisaragi to be in need of protection, and neither had she, but for a moment, she'd been the most fragile woman in the world.

Sadly, reality came knocking on her door again.

He put his hand on her arm. "Yuffie, don't be like that."

"You're a big ass coward, that's what you are!" she spat, furious at Rufus for being such an ass, furious at Elena for being too damn stupid to walk away and, most of all, furious at Reno for not interfering.

Instead of being righteous and brave, he'd acted like a…like a mafioso.

_Hello! Time to wake up now, Yuffie Keiko Kisaragi! Stop pretending he's something else!  
_

She caught sight of an empty taxi, and waved it in. She didn't dare looking at Reno in case she'd lose whatever courage she'd managed to muster.

"Good night, Reno," she threw out over her shoulder. "No, wait, change that to a goodbye."

...

He should have let her leave. Let her disappear out of his messed up life. He'd be just fine without the extra trouble she'd cause him.

But she reminded him of things he'd long since forgotten, and he couldn't let her walk away. Not now.

Being with her made him feel like an honest man, like the cop he actually was. Like he was supposed to feel.

He opened the taxi-door and sat down beside her.

The chaffeur looked over his shoulder. "Where are we going?"

Yuffie threw Reno her most vicous death glare. "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

Reno couldn't hold back a small smirk. He loved it when she tried getting bossy on him. "We're not done here."

"We're more than _done_, we're practically overcooked!" she snarled.

"There's some things we need to talk about," he started.

"I'm not having this conversation with you in a _cab_."

"So let me follow you home, then."

"_No!_"

"Okay, okay…but at least let me follow you to your car."

"You should have help Elena. You could've done _something_."

How could he explain his life to her? He squeezed the medallion around his neck and prayed for help. But no help came. So Reno did what he did best. He lied.

"Yuffie, I'm thinking practical here. If I get my ass handed to me by Shinra, and she still goes back to him tomorrow morning, then I haven't achieved anything other than making a fool of myself."

"So what? At least you can look yourself in the mirror."

That was a low blow.

"Yeah, and make it even more ovious as to what a freaking idiot I am. They do this once a month, and she _always_ goes back to him."

"How can you stand yourself? He'll kill her!"

Reno closed his eyes, trying not to let her words get to him. Truthfully, he couldn't stand himself. He survived, but that was all. He reached again for his medallion and tried to collect some strength.

In reality, it wasn't in any way healthy to meddle with the mafia, which was a reason why she shouldn't be there, with him.

So why was she? Because he, may the gods forgive him, couldn't resist her.

"What are you going to do, Reno?" she asked him.

He honestly didn't have a clue. But if he limited the question to only apply to Elena, then the answer was simple. "Yuffie, I promise I'll do what I can to protect her, okay?"

That was a promise he could keep, and it felt good to say it.

After a moment of silence she sighed. "You can drive me back to Starbucks. I've got my car around the corner."

Reno grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cab before she changed her mind.

Relief filled him and while he drove her back, he tried to come up with a good topic of discussion. Politics, sports, the latest movie.

_Or sex. _

Reno took himself by the collar and concentrated on driving.

They got stuck in a traffic jam and he threw an eye at her. She'd balled up in the passenger's seat like a lost little girl. He wished he'd had his camera with him to capture the fragile lines in her features.

It was the contradictions with her that captivated him the most. She was hard-boiled and pushy, with a dress that revealed more than it concealed. But deep inside lured a vulnerability, an uncertainty, that hit him straight in the heart.

So what did she have to feel uncertain about? If he'd have her brain and sharpness he'd be on top of the freaking world by now. But when he saw her frown, all he wanted was to pull her to him again. Kiss her again.

He wanted to make it all right for her.

The cars before him moved at a crawl and Reno was for once happy that a traffic jam could give him a few extra minutes together with Yuffie.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied quietly.

He made a turn for the station and she pointed him to a huge Mazda with the slogan SKY SPY across the sides. _Oh, Yuffie, you make this too easy for me…_

It would take him like five minutes to look up who she was, where she lived…hell, even what she'd had for dinner last night. But if he could do it, anyone else could do the same. And this "anyone else" made him worry.

He was following her to her car when she suddenly stopped, staring towards the sky.

"You see that?" she asked and pointed to a twinkling bright spot.

"Is it a plane or a satellite?"

"It's a falling star."

Reno wasn't born yesterday, but right now, it was all about pretends. If she'd really fallen for the crap about falling stars, then he'd play along.

"And that's good luck or bad?"

"Your wishes come true," she said with a voice that proved she actually believed all that paranormal rubbish.

"Hardly tonight," he mumbled with a glance to her red lips.

He saw her hesitate before meeting his gaze. "Not for me either."

"Now you're begging for trouble," he warned her. "You should walk away from me."

"When I've got the tape," she countered lightly.

"You think Genesis is away from home Monday morning?"

She nodded.

"Then I'll check it out."

"Thanks."

A rush of air blew the wig's blonde locks away from her face, revealing some of her ebony hair. Why couldn't she trust him enough to tell him the truth? He wanted to see the real her, wanted to touch her again just to find out if it felt the same each time.

She stepped into her car, looking at him with those huge chocolate brown eyes that caused havoc to his hormones. Letting go of the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, he watched her drive away.

He balled up his fists. "_…Ave Maria piena di grazia," _he prayed, willing himself to regain control. He couldn't do this to her. Everything he touched turned to ruins.

_Find that goddamn video and get out of her life. You've got a job to do._

Slowly, he stepped inside his own car again, but he didn't start it up. Instead he just sat there, looking up to the sky.

The bare truth was that he could barely wait until he'd meet her again.

...

At early Sunday morning, Reno woke up after an amazingly imaginative dream about Yuffie Jones.

First thing on the agenda was to look up her true identity. A five minute call to the Midgar PD's computer files' department gave him the answers he needed.

SKY SPY, alias Yuffie "Foxy" Jones was none other than Yuffie Keiko Kisaragi, who rented a two room-apartement on the other side of the city, in a block called Midgar. She was employed at the Research Center of Astrophysichs, had three bank accounts in Nibelheim, and she'd gotten herself a heavy fine for speeding in July 2006.

Her academic qualifications actually scared him. A Bachelor's degree in Physics and a Master's degree in Astrophysics at the University of Nibelheim. Her father was Godo Kisaragi, a prominent business man running a multinational company. He was born in Wutai, but moved to Nibelheim in his early years to build a career. There he met Yuffie's mother, she too born Wutainese. The mother died in cancer 1989, leaving him to raise their four-year-old daughter alone.

No trace of anything illegal. Except the speeding fine and a mysterious videotape, Yuffie Kisaragi was an exemplary citizen.

When Reno had finished his call he smirked to himself. Yuffie Kisaragi was no mole from the maffia, nor was she a prostitute or in anyway a corrupt person. She was normal. An ordinary, average normal human being. Well, she was blackmailed because of a sexvideo. But that wasn't something he particularly cared about, since every minute spent with her reminded him of who he was and who he wanted to be.

Reno swiftly grabbed his phone again and dialed another number.

"Dad?"

"Renoto! _Figlio_, how nice to hear your voice. Where are you this month?"

"Oregon. I'm delivering a load of TV-sets and then I'm off to Florida."

"What? Isn't there enough TVs in this world already? You should come home and see your family. It's been so long since we've seen you."

"I know, I know. How's ma?"

"She's just fine. She's telling me to go get out walking more. Me? Walking? I tell her to leave me alone, but she just keeps on nagging every single day. I tell you, there is no peace in this house!"

Reno smiled. "And Christos? He's not in any trouble, is he?"

"Not today, but who knows about tomorrow? He's out all night, like some villain. I tell him to get himself a girl and get his life straight. He just tells me I'm an old fart and then he stays out late anyways. I am worried about him, Renoto. I have lost one son to this town. I don't want to lose another."

Reno felt the familiar aching in his chest.

"Renoto? Are you there?"

"Yeah, dad. I'm just tired, that's all."

He wondered if he'd dare tell his father the truth. Would he ever forgive him? Not likely…

"I heard on TV that long distance truck-drivers never sleep. You get enough sleep, son?"

"Yeah, dad," Reno sighed. "But I miss you," he added, trying to come up with a good time to tell the truth about his life.

Eihteen years old, he'd left Gongaga just to get away from home. He'd never planned to become a cop, but he'd spent so much time keeping away from the law, it'd been time for him to make up for it.

He'd never told his parents because he knew they didn't like cops. After Tony's accident, the word "cop" was practically a tabu in their house. Instead, he'd told them he worked as a freelancing truck-driver, and it was a lie he'd held on to. Just like he'd kept onto every other lie he'd ever told.

"Why won't you come home? Your mother is asking for grandchildren. Isn't it time for you yet?"

Reno laughed. "Not yet. But I've met a girl."

"Aha! So that's why you're calling. You've gotten yourself married, and we weren't even invited!"

"No, I'm not married," Reno answered with a smile. "And I'd invite all of you, you know that."

"Good. That's what a good son ought to do. So... What's the name of this poor little girl?"

He didn't want to answer, in fear it would all be broken to pieces if he'd say her name out loud. But at the same time, he felt like sharing something with his family for once.

"Her name's Yuffie."

"Yuffie. Nice name. Uncommon. You should bring her here over Christmas."

"It's too early to make decisions yet, dad."

He had to get that tape first.

"You're my son. You're a Cordano. That's all you need."

It would take more than that for him to win her over. His collaboration with the mob didn't exactly speak to his advantage. And as much as he wanted to pretend otherwise, it was his life.

"Maybe, dad, maybe."

"You wanna talk to your mother? She's away to the hair-dresser to do stuff with her hair, but I can tell her to call you when she gets home."

"No… Tell her hi for me."

For the nearest half an hour he'd be busy spying on a certain Genesis. It wasn't like tracking down terrorists and maffia bosses, but then again, Rome wasn't built in a day. A man had to pay for his sins one at a time.

Reno hung up and soon thereafter left the apartment to do some surveying around the place of crime-to be. Tomorrow, he had a tape to steal.

...

The first thing Yuffie did that same Sunday morning was to call her father to remind him of her upcoming presentation.

He wasn't home.

She left a message and hung up. Then she frowned. _Weird._ Sometimes he got called in to the office for some crisis meeting, but on Sundays he usually preferred to sleep in and take his time reading the newspaper while in bed.

Not like it was the biggest mystery in world's history. And she had more important things occupying her brain for the moment.

Like Reno.

That guy was trouble.

She forced herself out of bed, watered her flowers and cared a little extra for a lilly looking a little out of sorts.

Then she called Aerith, since she felt in need of a voice of sanity to stop her from doing something stupid. Yuffie didn't know for sure if Aerith could be called a voice of sanity, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

One hour later, she was at Aerith's apartment in the heroic role of computer-geek. She showed her some tricks about the Internet and gave her a lesson in word processing.

"How're things going with the mysterious Mr. Corlucci?" Aerith suddenly asked, tired of listening to Yuffie's computer slang.

"Good," Yuffie answered and felt her cheeks heaten just by thinking about him.

"Good? That's all you have to say?" Aerith wondered, using the same tone of voice as Tifa would have used.

And it was enough for all dams to burst.

"You should have warned me," Yuffie said, semi-accusingly.

She rose from her seat, wandered three laps around the sofa and pondered wether to spill her guts or not. In the end, she just spit it out.

"I went to a wedding with him."

Aerith was taken aback. "And _I_ thought there was at least a little bit of sex in the picture."

"It was a nice wedding," Yuffie added, feeling like a complete failure. "And I thought about sex. _A lot._"

She smiled her most cat-like smile. "And he did, too," she added smugly.

"You want him," Aerith said, and Yuffie sank back onto the couch.

"You're supposed to be my voice of sanity, not the one of delusion!"

"He's in the mob," Aerith answered, going on full protective friend-mode.

"Oh, shut up," Yuffie countered.

"Wait a minute. What do you need me for? You're an astrophysician, for crying out loud. Get a hold of yourself!"

"I hate myself," Yuffie groaned and buried her face in a pillow. " I wanna see him again. Just to talk…maybe. Why can't I learn of the huge slip-up I made, and for which I am still paying for?"

Beth rose to get a bowl of selleri and carrots from the kitchen before she sank down in the armchair in front of Yuffie.

"You can hardly put him in the same catergory as Genesis. Reno isn't a man who'd have to bribe someone for sex."

"No, he's too busy killing people."

"We don't know that for sure," Aerith objected and thoughtfully nibbled on a carrot.

"Now you're skidding on the road of sanity and sense again…"

"Okay, let's stick to the facts. What happened last night? What crimes were committed?"

Yuffie described last night up to the incident with Elena. "And there we had a friggin' _abused _woman, but did I lie awake all night thinking about her? No. Do you know what I was busy thinking about all night?"

Aerith smiled pointedly. "Yes."

"What am I gonna do?" Yuffie said… A call in despair that could be translated to; _I know what I want to do, and that's definitly not what I _should_ do. _

"Just go for it," Aerith said without a seconds hesitation.

"But he's in the _mob_," Yuffie objected.

"One day you can write a book about it, and you'll become rich and famous. _A mafioso's mistress_."

"You write that book, Aerith. I sure as heck won't."

"Maybe I will..."

"Don't you dare!"

Aerith winked disarmingly." Oh, don't worry. I can write a little thing for those magazines with true stories from life."

Yuffie looked into Aerith's innocently green eyes. And for the first time, she saw something new…secrets, ruse, scheming.

"Oh...my..._God!_ You haven't done that before, have you?"

Aerith blushed modestly. "A few times. It's good money. Pays the rent."

"You're _kidding_ me! What did you write about?"

"I was a mail order bride. I had the hots for the pool-keeper. Sex toys… diary of a bored housewife. My mother-in-law tried to kill me, " she answered and started munching on some selleri.

"_Promise_ me you won't write about this!"

Beth held her hands up. "I promise."

"I can't stop thinking about how stupid I am for actually liking the guy. He seems kind of sweet, in that totally dangerous way…"

"He's quite polite, always thanking me for bringing him his coffee."

"If we – against all odds – _would_ hit it off, you wouldn't tell anybody, right?"

"Not if you didn't want me to. Maybe he's not even a real criminal. I've never really seen him do anything illegal. Let a PD look him up."

"No way, Aerith. Meddling a stranger's what got me into this mess in the first place."

"Not at all… That was because of Genesis."

"Don't voice that bastard's name. Reno's gonna go collect that tape tomorrow. I try to keep him away from my thoughts, but he just keeps getting to me."

"Reno?"

"Genesis."

"He'll get what he deserves."

"I sure hope so."

"You have to learn to trust people, Yuffie."

_So sad_, Yuffie pondered and shook her head. Aerith was so naïve. "No, Aers. The only one you can trust is yourself."

The busty brunette laughed. "I have to trust people, or I wouldn't ever get anything done…"

"That attitude's gonna be the death of you…"

"I know. I'm not all that clever."

"But you look really good. With a pretty face, you don't have to be smart."

"Says the one with the greener grass," Aerith commented.

Yuffie rolled her eyes in frustration. "You really think that women with brains get further than women with the looks and charms?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

Arguing with Aerith was about as rewarding as splitting kurds…

"You know how to send IM's, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Too bad you don't have a computer at Starbucks," Yuffie mumbled.

"Don't go getting any ideas."

Yuffie sighed. "I know. I can't wait until Tifa get's back."

Aerith looked insulted and Yuffie knew she'd put her foot in it. "But it'll be you and not she who'll get to hear all the juicy details about Reno."

"You're actually going to do this?"

Yuffie nodded. A huge load had been lifted off her shoulders. This could be the chance of a lifetime. Something to tell the grandkids, or more likely, the third generation of kittens. In order to get grandchildren she had to get children of her own and to do that she needed, at least through her own rules, a husband, and to have a husband, she had to meet – and feel attracted to – a man with high moral principles.

None of that seemed very likely at the moment. And the bigger reason to give in and grab whatever Reno had to offer.

With a satisfied smile, she leaned back into the couch. "We'll see, Aers. We'll see…"

...

.........

...

.........

...

**A/N: **So it seems there's much more to Reno than one would think. I personally love his dad, so you can probably expect him to pop up again. And neither have we seen the last of Elena. In any case, the plot is really getting a roll on and even though this Astrophysician-deal turned out to give me more trouble than I'd thought, it's always a pleasure learning new things.

Big thanks to those of you who've reviewed this so far, I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Have a great week everyone! Don't forget to review...


	4. Taking Back Control

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Warnings: A wee bit of language...I think._

_..._

_........._

_..._

**Taking Back Control**

...

...

Mondays had never been Reno's favourite day. It was barely six am as he stared down at a fresh cup of coffee with cross-eyed suspicion.

To his mothers great disappointment, school had never really been his thing, and the knowledge one could find in books had never come in first hand on his part. School hadn't teached him the things he knew now, like breaking an entry, hot-wiring cars and how to make fake ID's.

He closed his eyes and poured the last drops of coffee to his mouth. The past was dead.

This day he had three things on his agenda. A meeting with Rude at Castello's in a few hours. Then the break-in at Genesis', and to wrap it all up, the tape-theft - in case the tape even existed. His doubt about the video was the result of the fishy people he surrounded himself with on a daily basis. He'd learned not to trust anything.

But lately, things had begun to change. He felt different. Happier. Purer. _More like a human being._

All thanks to her.

A certain Yuffie Kisaragi, with eyes that made him feel like the biggest man on Earth. Okay, he had to confess that her petite, lanky figure also made him feel like a man. A very sex-hungry man.

In the shower, he allowed himself a few extra minutes of sexual fantasies. Probably the last thing he should be thinking about when it came to her, since trouble had a tendency to come bite him in the ass. And Yuffie Kisaragi would be better off without the shitload of the messy gore that was his existence to seep into her life.

To keep his promises he read _Ave Maria_ a couple of times for extra measure which, according to his mother, was a better protection than an insurance in Allstates.

Castello's was a combination of diner and billiard-salon. Many thought the worn-down place had gone down to history and no longer held any importance, but Reno'd been taught otherwise.

The Midgar PD always tried to have someone keeping an eye at the mob. Not the most well-credited of works, Al Capone was just a fairytale - today's criminals acted discreetly and stayed away from front page news.

This was something that appealed to Reno. Nobody believed that the investigation about bribings in the business of energy supplements would lead anywhere. A view _not_ shared by Reno and his colleague, the superintendent.

As Reno entered the diner, he noticed that the early group of regular costumers had already seated themselves by the counter. Old Castello himself was cutting up sammon and pouring coffee, and Rude was reading the morning paper at a table in the back.

Reno settled with a glass of orange juice that he brought with him to Rude's table.

"Mornin' Rude."

Rude glared at him over his ever-present shades. "Devilish Wings dived in the fifth lap," he grunted. "That damn chocobo was too good to be true."

Reno put a frown on his face. "I told you that Billy-kid drove him too hard. You should have staked on Black Swan instead. Twelve times the money."

"With my luck I would've lost anyways."

Reno took a swig of his juice. "You just need something to turn your luck around, man."

Rude straighened up his paper and continued reading. "I'm not that superstitious."

Time to bait the hook.

"I might have the right thing."

Rude halted in his reading. "What?"

The redhead pretendedly swept his gaze across the room in vigilance. "It's a bunch of cash-cards, with codes and everything. Thought it'd be a good moment to bring in a companion. Maybe even Shinra himself, if he'd want to."

"You've always been quiet about your business. Why're you bringing this up now?" Rude asked suspiciously.

This was the tricky part. He didn't want to act too open, but not too avoiding and secretive either.

"You wanna know the truth?" he said.

"Yes."

"I think I can help you out."

"You don't have to pity me. I'm fine on my own."

"I know you've had some bad luck lately, while I've made some really good deals."

Rude nodded. "Thanks for the thought, but I'm counting on a change of luck in September."

"Something big comin'?" Reno wondered, trying not to seem too eager.

"Very gainful, if you get what I'm saying."

Rude kept his cards hidden, and it was too early for Reno call them, so he just grabbed the sports-pages and started reading. "It's nothing but fair that your luck turn up for you. And I'm happy for you."

"Can I ask you something?"

Reno lowered the paper in curiosity. "Go for it."

"You get your way with the chicks, right?"

He shrugged indifferently, disappointed by the topic-change.

"There's this special lady I like, but I don't know how to approach her."

"Has she given you the looks?"

"No. She doesn't even know I'm interested."

"Then it's a problem," Reno sighed.

"I know," Rude sneered and pushed up his shades, effectively hiding any feelings evident in his dark eyes.

"Have you talked to her, asked her out and stuff?"

"I've talked to her… Some small talk about chocobos."

"Nothing more, eh? Hmm… Can I make a suggestion?"

"I've been hoping you would."

"Send her flowers."

Rude frowned.

"I'm not sure I should do that."

"Why not, man?"

"It's not really my thing, flowers and crap like that," the large man mumbled and fidgeted on his chair.

"Just send her a card saying 'From a secret admirer'. It's a winner, and you can ask her about it later. Then you'll see her reaction, and if you don't want to tell her, she'll never know it was you."

A light lit up Rude's eyes behing his shades."Cool, that'll give it all some mysticism. Is that popular with the chicks?"

"They love it, yo," Reno assured him, pretending to know exactly what he was talking about.

Which he didn't. He was just a sad case of a man, having the hots for a woman who didn't even want to tell him her real name.

Reno pondered over the oddity of how Rude seemed willing to share his lovelife with him, but not the bait he'd laid out for him. Ever since Reno had taken the assignment of infiltrating the maffia, everybody kept telling him that the mob was dead, but Reno wanted to prove them all wrong.

Something he was about to do right now. Rude was a level higher than him and if Reno did him the favour of helping him out with this mystery-woman, it could grant him access to the inner circle.

It sure was proving to be a good day.

Since Reno'd left Castello's, he'd changed his clothes into a jacket and a cap of the same sort the messengers at FedEx used, just in case someone would get curious to his whereabouts, but there was no one near as he found his way to Genesis' apartment.

Housebreakings was something he'd learned as a youngster, and he had yet to find a place where he couldn't find his way in. If the lock couldn't be picked, there was always the windows. The criminal gene in him was in a way Reno's biggest asset. Sadly, not all in the Cordano family was as blessed as he was. His brother had put his life on the line in his first attempt of crime.

Reno fumbled to grip the could medallion aroud his neck, pressing it hard against his skin. Pain was more bearable than guilt.

But right now he had a job to do.

The door was equipped with a regular safety lock. Ridiculously easy. He reminded himself to give Yuffie a call about safety measures. He could only hope she was better equipped than this moron.

With a few quick operations he could step into the hallway. Just as Yuffie'd told him, Genesis was out. With the exception of her name and identity, she'd obviously told him the truth. But as soon as he'd found that tape, he'd put an end to the lies.

He searched through the apartment with discreet efficiency. By the TV he found a couple of unlabeled video-casettes. He was going to have to look through them all since it wasn't likely Genesis would label the tape: "Sex with Yuffie".

Suddenly, the sex-fantasies returned, but without Genesis (he did _not_ swing that way). Just him and Yuffie. A very naked Yuffie.

Reno shook his head and concentrated on his task. He found six episodes of True Blood and a couple of baseball-games. But no Yuffie.

As the tapes gave him nothing, he looked around for other means.

On the table by the couch were some books with titles such as Spies of Sovjet, A history of Blackmails and a few books with instructions to how one write a good thriller.

So Genesis was interested in authoring spy novels, eh? Interesting, but not illegal.

Reno started up the computer and went through the files. There was some semi-pornografic movies, but nothing with Yuffie. In a folder he found the first draft of a detective novel, but he only skimmed through the first pages before giving it up.

And that was it. If Genesis had the tape, he didn't keep it at home.

_If there even was a tape._

Maybe he'd lied to Yuffie. She'd said she'd heard the tape, not that she'd seen it.

After one last quick survey, Reno left the apartment and headed for his car.

The conversation with Yuffie was short and business-like. He heard the disappointment in her voice, and he wished he'd been a better cop.

"Reno?"

"Yeah, sugar?" he answered, hoping she'd laugh at the nickname.

But she didn't. "You'll keep on looking, right?"

"I'll keep it up," he promised. "Just don't go off doing anything stupid."

"No, I promise," she said.

But Reno knew that tone. Instead of shadowing Genesis, it was time to go after Yuffie. He had a feeling she was up to something and the most important thing right now was to keep her safe.

...

Yuffie hung up the phone and peered over her computer towards the disgusting slimebag. She'd been so sure Reno would get her that tape, but since he hadn't, she knew it was up to her to put a stop to it.

She took a deep calming breath and braced herself for the encounter with The Enemy.

"WhatdoIhavetodotogetthattape?" she asked in one breath.

Genesis looked up in surprise. Then he smiled, one of the nice smiles that didn't work with his behaviour towards her at all.

"One more time should be enough."

"Just one time?" Yuffie asked just to make sure there wasn't any loopholes in his conditions.

"Yes, it's all about research."

_Research? That had to be the worst joke of the year._

"What a friggin' excuse!" she sneered. "Where's the tape?"

He glanced to his computer. "This is the age of digital technology, Yuffie."

"You copied it, didn't you?" she asked, pondering as to if murder would be such a bad solution after all.

Genesis looked up at her with the air of complete innocence. "Perhaps."

She needed a little more information than that. _Just a few more clues, Watson, and this case is closed._

"Then you could erase it right now. No, even better, I'll erase it myself," she said and leaned forward. "Show me where it is."

Genesis smiled and even pointed. "Right there. You can erase it."

She pressed down the delete-button swiftly, but sadly, he was still smiling._ It's never that simple, Sherlock._

"It's in your personal computer, isn't it?"

"Yes."

But computers aren't more secure than the people who use them. Yuffie kept her grin to herself.

"Okay, I'll come to your apartment tonight. Nine o'clock."

"Do you remember where I live?"

"Yeah yeah, I remember."

"Don't be late," he said and brushed her off, going back to whatever it was he was working on.

Yuffie wanted to punch him into next Thursday, but refrained. This called for absolute sneaky-ness and discretion.

She glanced over to the clock on the wall. Five hours to go.

Half an hour later, she had the solution to her problems. Then she spent the rest of the day by her computer. Once again, her brain had come to the rescue. She worked intensely until the result was flawless.

It was a lovely feeling, taking back control.

Genesis would learn to never again underestimate the power and determination of a pissed off woman.

...

Reno parked outside the laboratory of the Research Center and witnessed Genesis' old Mustang roll out from the parking lot. Yuffie's Mazda was still there. Seemed she was working late.

Then he had no choice but to wait. He pushed his chair back and made himself comfortable. The radio tuned in a lecturer who was convinced that universe was expanding, and apparantly, he had proof. Bullshit.

Reno sighed sceptically and readied himself for a long wait.

Clock hit 7.30 PM, and that's when it happened. He got his first real look at Yuffie Keiko Kisaragi. Without the blonde wig and ridiculous clothes. In reality, her hair was dark, straight and cut in a lengthy bob-style. It was a perfect frame to her round, heart-shaped face. Now she'd changed the bimbo-dress to a sleeveless buttondown shirt and a pair of tight, low-cut jeans.

So this was the real Yuffie.

Then why did she pretend to be someone else?

Reno laughed at himself. He already had the answer to that. _Because you have something to hide. Because no one else ever could be allowed to guess your secret._ But Yuffie was different in another way than he was. Her secrets weren't even close to being as awful as his was.

As she drove away, he was ready and glided in behind her, with two cars inbetween.

It was a peaceful ride towards the city, but instead of keeping the course to her home, she made a right turn. _Fuck it!_ Reno instantly knew where she was going and furiously gave his gear a blow.

Why couldn't she trust him? For being such a smart woman, she was about to do something really stupid.

She was on her way to Genesis.

Reno dialed up his boss at Midgar PD and postponed their meeting. Tonight he had more important things to take care of.

Yuffie needed him, whether she knew it or not.

...

.........

...

.........

...

What is Yuffie up to now? And what's gonna happen when Reno get his hands on her? (he is seemingly quite upset) And who's Rude's mystery woman? I guess we'll all find out in the next chapter. It seems to become quite filled with action.

Also, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I wanted a nice build-up for the next one, and I finally managed to cram out a, in my opinion, pretty good cliffhanger. I wanna do more of those! Btw, I have some references to explain here too. The chocobo Black Swan mentioned in the beginning is in fact the name of a song by Diablo (if anyone here is interested in metal). Then there's the recordings of True Blood at Genesis' apartment, have you seen that show? I LOVE IT TO DEATH! (insert pained sigh by boyfriend here)

Big thanks to MyIncentive, you know you made my day! As will any other review I might receive on this, they're quite vital for us writers you know...

Until next time

/


	5. Raised Fists And Dictionaries

**AN;** _Finally! An upload! Sorry for the long wait my friends..._

**Warnings;**_ chapter contains sexual intercourse and foul language_

o  
O  
o

**Raised Fists And Dictionaries**

o  
O  
o

Everything went according to plan. Genesis was currently busy in the kitchen, ordering some some Wutainese food. She'd told him she wanted to eat some before he'd get any action and perhaps even take a good glass of wine. He'd popped up a bottle of Chenaut and then skipped away to the kitchen like the sneaky little fox that he was. Oh, the simplicity of men...

She'd seated herself by his computer when Genesis called from the kitchen. "The food will be here in twenty minutes. We'll take some wine while we wait."

Yuffie inserted the USB-device she'd brought with her and stood up to watch the virus do its job.

Just when the ninja skull with a large shuriken underneath appeared on the screen - she'd designed it herself - Genesis entered the living room.

Evil laughter roared out through the speakers.

"What have you done?" he asked, thickness in his voice.

Yuffie struck a winning pose and smiled ruefully. "Just what I should've done long ago."

"What have you done?" Genesis repeated and scurried to the computer. "My documents," he squeaked and started hammering down onto the keyboard. "It's all gone, _everything _is gone!"

"You bet your ass they're gone!"

"All my work. What have you _done_?"

He looked completely terrified, as if she'd just blown up the entire universe before his eyes. "I'm not about to let a disgusting creep like you destroy my life."

"You crazy _bitch_!"

Genesis darted towards her and Yuffie lifted the bottle of wine over her head, ready to smash his head in if the jackass dared to try and hurt her. But before he reached her a crash startled them as the window broke. A rain of sharp glass flew inside the room, followed by a shadowed figure. It was Reno, taking his time to brush away the shards from his sleeves. "I think that's enough now," he said and positioned himself between the two.

"Who are you?" Genesis asked incredulously.

Yuffie had to smile. Reno was taller than Genesis and at the moment he looked down right _mean_.

"Someone that's mighty pissed on you, Genesis. Where's the video?" Reno answered and nodded to Yuffie. "I like that hair, _sassy_."

Yuffie reached to her head. The wig! Oh God, he hadn't seen her real hair before. Damn.

Genesis seemed to have other things in mind. "I can't believe it's true. You just ruined four years of work for me. There is no damn video! I wrote a book. A thriller. _The Loveless. _A man blackmails a girl, she kills him and has to find a way to hide it. I wished to see how far you were willing to go. It was research. For a _book._"

Yuffie stared at him, trying to find the right words to curse the goddamn man for the rest of his pitiful little life. When they just refused to come out, she settled for a swift kick in the nuts.

Genesis fell to the floor, groaning in the pain she'd caused him. Reno smirked approvingly. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Do you know how long I've been working on that script?" Genesis lashed out and for Yuffie, that was just the last straw.

"Do I _look_ like I care? You blackmailed me with a video that didn't fucking _exist_!"

"You are such an inferior little bitch!"

Reno grabbed him and pushed him up the wall. "You really don't want _me_ to punch now, do you?" he threatened quietly, but none the less, it was still very much a threat.

"He's with the Mob," Yuffie said and folded her arms over her chest. This was so much better than anything Al Pacino ever had done.

Reno placed his arm against the other red-head's throat and glanced over his shoulder. "It's your call. I'll gladly break his legs if you want me to."

"No no!" Genesis squeaked... The wimp.

"Will you ever attempt to blackmail a woman again, Genesis?" Reno questioned.

"No. I swear. I'll even leave town if that's what you want."

"Really?" This was music to her ears. "What do you think?" she asked Reno.

"I think I should break his legs," he answered with the most adorable little smile she'd ever seen.

Yuffie pondered for a moment, watching Genesis sweat nervously. She sighed in defeat. "You're my hero, but no, let the disgusting little creep flee, tail 'tween his legs."

Reno shrugged and turned. "Okay, you can go. This town ain't big enough for the both of us," he said and turned to Yuffie with a smirk. "I've always wanted to say that."

"I'll leave tomorrow," Genesis promised.

"Tonight," Yuffie spat. "Or I'll report you for violating the law of ethics."

"You still have no proof."

_Ha ha ha. _With an exaggerating gesture, she reached for her cell phone and pressed the speaker button. Genesis slick voice filled the room. "Remember that, you creep. Always have a plan B."

He hung his head. "I will leave as soon as I have packed."

Reno brushed off his sleeves. "And justice prevails once again. You ready to leave, _sassy?_"

"Yep... Let's bail this place." Yuffie grabbed the wine and threw one last look at Genesis The Scum. It was finally over.

As the walked for the door, Reno took her hand in his. "You can say that again," he said so lowly she almost missed it.

"Let's bail this place," she repeated, slightly confused.

They'd just gotten down the stairs when he stopped her. "No, that thing you said about me being your hero."

The only light provided in the hallway was the faint glow of a street light just outside, but it was enough for her to see the sudden vulnerability in his strangely coloured eyes. But there was something else there too, a part of him that seemed to have such an impact on her mental balance.

"You're my hero."

"I kinda like that," he admitted, seemingly a tad nervous. But then he ruffled her hair and the tension was gone. "Never use a wig again."

So he liked the way she looked? Yuffie knew she wasn't exactly ugly, but she would never have the looks to compete with Scarlet or Tifa or Aerith. "Okay, this is me," was the only line she could come up with. She knew her assets were on another plane than long blonde hair and wiggling behinds, but he didn't seem to mind. He shook his head and looked at her, really looked at her.

"I wanna hear everything about Yuffie Keiko Kisaragi. From the moment you were born to the first time you learned how to make computer viruses and to do wicked stuffs with atoms and cosmos."

He knew. She stared at him, mouth wide open. "How did you...?"

"I have my ways," was all he said as he opened the gate and followed her out.

The night was beautiful, clear and with a cacophony of bright stars lighting up the sky.

It was a night when names were forgotten, crimes weren't mentioned and when nothing else was allowed but the unyielding need that filled her body like waves on the shore. Reno looked at her like she was the only woman on Gaia. She could feel her heart take over, for her brain had stopped working long ago.

It was ten o'clock and she was more than ready to cross the border.

"Follow me home," she whispered.

He stopped and turned. "You serious?"

"Follow me home," she repeated, more secure this time.

"Now, tomorrow, anytime," he answered.

Her heart pounded so heart she was afraid it'd rip straight out her chest when her eyes met his. Suddenly it dawned on her. She'd just opened Pandora's Box, and Pandora did not intend to close it.

"So you like women with some brain?" she asked him jokingly.

"I find it damn sexy, and if you start whispering about neutrons in my ear I might just blow my pants right here on the street," he answered just as lightly, but the expression in his eyes were like ice hot springs of lava.

"My vocabulary's pretty limited right now," she said and moved closer. His lips crashed down on hers and she welcomed them gladly. He had the most perfect mouth you could imagine, tempting and playful one second, hard and demanding the next.

Her legs felt like spaghetti and failed to keep her standing so he backed her up against a wall. There she stood while his lanky muscles pressed into her every curve. She threw her arms around his neck so she could bury her fingers in his messy hair and playfully tugged his low pony the while, his hands wandered up under her shirt caressing the soft skin on her back, exploring the curves of her rear, pulling her even closer.

Yuffie moaned.

"Don't do this to me," he whispered.

"What?"

"You'll get us arrested for indecent behaviour in public. A serious misdemeanour. You drive home, I'll follow you in mine."

"We could go together," she suggested, not wanting to let go of their moment.

He gave her a quick peck. "Too dangerous a suggestion. When I finally get you to myself I want you in a place where nudity and eagerness ain't a crime."

Yuffie sighed but obediently spent the next forty-five minutes driving her car – _alone_ – while pondering on the many aspects including nudity and eagerness.

o  
O  
o

Yuffie's apartment was bright and green – forest green. Climbing grapevines and miniature trees blended in amongst the plants and flowers, she seemed quite fond of white roses too. Not a dead leaf in sight, everything looked vibrant and full of life, just like she was.

The walls were filled with diplomas and photos of what he assumed were friends of hers. Most of them figured Yuffie together with three beautiful women, who seemed to have a strong bond between them. His own walls had always been bare. She had a stereo and heaps of cd's strayed around the room. He'd never bothered with such things. He leaned back onto the sofa and pretended he felt at home.

"You want a beer?" she asked and disappeared out to the kitchen.

"Just some water," he called.

Unlike what rumour said about him, he watched out for liquor. It had the bad habit of making his mouth work on its own, and in his profession that was a recipe for disaster.

"You have _a_ _lot_ of plants," he said and felt the urge to hold a normal conversation for once.

"They cleanse the air from carbon dioxide. It's actually really healthy growing plants in your home."

He shook his head. "I'd just kill them."

"You just need the right kind. Something durable, like a grapevine or a cactus. Indestructible."

She was so naïve.

"I'd still kill it."

"Next time…"she started but let the sentence die out.

His hand cramped around the glass and avoided her gaze. There wouldn't be a next time and they both knew it

"I should go, Yuffie…"

"No, don't go."

She said it quietly, but it was enough for him to sit back down again.

On his way to her apartment he'd tried to figure out what he wanted to say. He shouldn't be there, that much he knew. He shouldn't even think about sleeping with her. But during these past three years he'd had so few chance to let himself feel human, to remember who he was. And it would only be for a night. Since Genesis was taken care of she no longer had any use for him.

When she sat down beside him with trust he felt scared. She shouldn't have so much faith in him. No one should. So he rose to his feet and started walking around the room.

"You _sure_ about this? About me?" he wondered, man enough to ask, but not man enough to walk away.

She took her time with the answer and he readied himself for rejection. It would probably be for the best, especially for her.

"You have a good heart. A kind heart. No one's ever done what you did for me."

Her words made life seem a little brighter. He'd go straight to hell for this, but it'd be worth every god damn second.

"What have I done for you?" he asked.

The way he saw it she'd handled it pretty much on her own.

"No one's ever watched over me or protected me," Yuffie told him. "I was always the smart one, the one who managed anything and everything. And tonight I discovered the luxury of letting someone else do all that."

"Wait a sec here, you did a whole lot yourself. That virus was pure genius," he said with the urge of stating the obvious.

She rose, walked up to him and smoothed her soft hand over his arm. Everywhere she touched him he caught on fire.

"We're a pretty awesome team, aren't we?" she said and started to unbutton his shirt.

A part of him longed to touch her, but another part knew that he drew her in to a situation and a world where she didn't belong. He stood quiet, not stopping her, but not touching her either. It was a compromise he could live with.

Her fingers trailed up over his shoulders and both jacket and shirt fell to the floor. The air was cool on his over-heated skin and her feather-light touch slowly drove him mad.

"Where'd you get that scar?" she wondered and let her finger draw across the fine line over his upper arm.

It was an innocent question and he had a well rehearsed answer on his tongue. To anyone who'd bothered to ask he'd told it was from his two years at the Nibelheim Institute. Just one of many jail brawls.

"I drove into a tree with a motorbike when I was sixteen," he said, amazed how easy the truth escaped.

"You could've died," she mumbled.

"I had a helmet."

She followed the scar with her lips.

"You got any?" he pressed forward as he seemed to have a hard time breathing.

"I walked through a plank when I was eleven. I have a scar on my left ankle."

It felt so fantastic, so normal, to stand there together with her. Hesitantly, he loosened the buttons down her shirt to reveal more of her skin, inch by inch. He stroked it off of her so she stood before him in only jeans and a sporty yet incredibly hot bra. Reviving a long lost talent, he unclasped it with one hand with a quick flip. The skin was like ivory in contrast to her dark hair and it made her look just as vulnerable as he suspected she was, no matter how independent she tried to act.

"This is it, Yuffs. If you wanna back out then do it now because I can't take it much longer."

A corny line. He knew he had to have her.

She didn't answer, just smiled. A cheeky mischievous grin that told him all he needed to know. For tonight – at least – she was his.

Now he wanted to see all of her.

Jeans slid down to the floor and her black hotpants followed soon after. They seemed like a practical clothing for such a fantastic body as hers. Her curves were soft and flowing and they captivated him more than any well-endowed playgirl in any magazine ever had.

"Perfect", he breathed, and according to the awkward flushing to her face – no, her _whole_ body – she'd heard him. He felt a little awkward himself actually.

"Can I…um… ask you something?" she wondered.

He could have given her the world when she looked at him like that, with a frank manner and just a touch of shyness. It made him feel goddamn _good_, damnit. "Anything."

"Could you take off your clothes too?"

With a delighted chuckle he did as she'd asked, then, without warning, he took a leap towards her and they pummelled into bed in a mess of stray legs and frantically waving arms as he attacked her with tickles, making her scream for mercy. It was impossible for him to wait any longer. He found the long scar stretching from her ancle and halfway up her leg and pressed his mouth to it in a trail of kisses. It was white and clean and thin, and it embroidered her body far greater than any jewellery ever could. It was beautiful in its own right. "Very sexy," he told her.

He used his hands to explore her every curve while looking into her face to reveal what she responded to the most. She bit her lip when he touched the hollow of her arm, when he followed the curve behind her ear and when he stroke her perky breasts. He couldn't help but take a nipple to his mouth, a move that sent a jolt through her body and excitedly, he drew her closer to him. Her legs moved restlessly as she fought against the feelings inside her, but he didn't want her to control it, he wanted her to set it loose. Covering her body with his, he trapped her wild legs and then transferred his attention to her other breast.

This time she rolled her hips so provocatively he had to back off a bit. "Not so fast," he whispered.

Yuffie answered by rolling towards him as she boldly reached down her hand and touched him.

Sacred Mary! Quickly he caught her hands and pulled them over her head. "Keep them there," he ordered.

"Like this?" she asked with feigned innocence and gripped the iron bars of the bed while bending her back towards him in a bow, nearly causing him a heart attack. Yuffie Keiko Kisaragi wasn't just brains, she was a little minx too. A combination that would've had him running as if he'd known any better. Which he apparently didn't.

Just to punish her, he returned to all the places that'd had her moaning earlier. He kissed her with his lips, nibbled with his teeth, egged her with his tongue. Every time she released her grip on the bars, he'd lift them back up and follow the soft line of her arm with his tongue before he ended his trail with a soft bite. Because she'd been bad.

When her eyes widened and her body grew even more restless, he worked his way down her legs. Such perfect legs. Slender, but full of power and energy. He discovered that she was ticklish in the hollow of her knee, and he found a very sensitive spot just under it before he slowly parted her thighs and then he was inside of her.

One night, just this one night.

For a few heartbeats he closed his eyes and felt the blood raging in his veins. He rejoiced in the feeling of really being alive. None of them moved.

Little by little he regained his control and he kissed her, counted every kiss in his head, knowing it would never be enough. Then he started to move inside her, first slow, but increasing his pace as she began to move together with him…

_One night…_

Yuffie heard the soft whisper in her ear and felt like crying. Minutes flew into hours, time moved way too fast. Her kisses grew more desperate as the night grew darker outside. And he never stopped touching her her, never stopped kissing her.

Pleasure and pain fused into one when her body grew tired, but she kept on welcoming him inside her.

_One night…_

His back was slippery when she stroked her hand over it, but she held him tightly. Each time her hands slipped she took a new hold and drew him closer.

A part of her knew why she kept holding on. And a part of her agreed. But her heart was crying.

She'd finally found someone worth loving, and all he had to offer her was sex, but she didn't care about that now. She kissed him feverishly in despair. While he moved in her, she pressed her lips to his neck. Furiously she sucked the warm skin and marked him in her own way. It kept her mouth sealed, stopped her from voicing words she shouldn't say.

Stupid words.

So she kissed his mouth, his neck, his scar. Anything just to _shut_ herself _up_.

The sheets tangled into a heap between their legs and she angrily kicked them away. This night was hers. It was all she had.

Not until the first trembling light of dawn broke through the darkness did they fall asleep, all legs and arms and sheets in a messy heap.

Their night was over.

o  
O  
o

Yuffie woke up an hour later, her eye's tired and dry and every muscle in her body was sore. She stretched out her body in a cat-like way and felt the pounding ache in places she didn't even know existed.

She, who never called in sick, thought of doing just that, but what good would it do? Reno would be gone soon and there was no use staying in bed all day by herself.

Watching him sleep, his sharp bony features soft and relaxed, she pondered about his past. What had he done in his life that had him ending up in the most renowned mob family on Gaia? Though she wanted to ask, she didn't. This was the last time she'd ever see him so she'd rather live her life not knowing than regret this night with him because of something he might have done that she'd never understand anyways. Like her father always said – some truths are better left untold.

But what if he'd really killed someone? She remembered how he'd handled Genesis and that had definitely come from experience and not from a theoretic study of some old mob movie. And his way of entering through the window, that didn't seem to be his first glass shower either.

Still, this probably didn't matter. She'd never see him again.

Facts were facts.

Her heart seemed to be choking inside. _Just forget about him Yuffie, _she scolded herself. _This guy's either gonna end up in jail or swim with the fishes. _

With a sigh she left the bed and wandered up to her window to see the sun already high in the sky. Any other day this would be her favorite time to be alive, to see a new glow light up this gray and dull city. But this wasn't a new day, this was their _last_.

Yuffie stayed by the window until the sound of his voice made her turn towards him. He was already half-dressed and looked to be in one hell of a hurry to leave. The night's long hours of gasps and sighs were gone, leaving them with an awkward "day after"-feeling.

Suddenly aware of her own less bareness she scurried to her closet and puller an over sized t-shirt over her head.

"You should take a plant with you," she blurted out. She wanted him to have something of hers, something he could look at that made him think of her. If he killed it... Oh well, she'd recovered from heartbreaks before.

He walked up to her as if he wanted to touch her and she held her breath, silently wondering if he'd break the rules. One night stands didn't include any day after-touches.

He didn't touch her, but his eyes weren't cold and he seemed about as unsure as she was. "You're giving me a plant?"

"Well...Uhm... Yeah." Yuffie looked away from his incredulous look. "I mean...if you want to?"

He quirked his lips in a hap-hazard smile. "I'll take it."

When she headed out to the living room he followed and she drew the curtains aside to let the eastern light flood through the window.

"You know you really should have windows with frosted glass instead," Reno remarked. "People can see right in and they'll know you live alone. That can be dangerous."

"You sure know a lot about security," Yuffie put in with a raised brow.

He shrugged his shoulders casually. "Comes with the biz, you gotta be careful." Because no one would hold her back from now on, she'd be on her own again.

"Thanks," she said and absentmindedly pondered if they should, like, shake hands or something.

He drove his hands down his pockets - so no handshaking there apparently - and waited.

Oh right. The plant. Hastily she grabbed an old ivy from the window. Her favorite. "This is Persimmon."

"A persimmon tree?"

"No, it's her name."

"...Oh," he said, most likely thinking she was a total nut job. Yuffie pretended not to hear his poorly hidden sarcasm.

"Just water her once a week, it helps if you chat a little with her too."

He nodded seriously. "Okay."

And they were back to saying goodbye. She put on a cheeky grin. "Well, thanks for everything. You'll find your way back from here?"

He pressed the plant to his chest, a barrier of earth, mud and a coal-based life form. "Sure."

Suddenly remembering the payment, she reached for her handbag. "You'll need your money too."

He stared at her with some disgust. "Forget it... I'm not taking your money."

As if she'd ever _forget_.

"I'll see you around," she said, fully aware that would never happen.

He turned to the door, opened it and then closed it again. "Yuffie..."

She felt her heart start pounding heavily in her chest and she held her breath. _Please, please, please._

Another step and the only thing between them was a nearly squished Persimmon.

"Stay out of trouble, you hear?" he said with tired eyes, a thin line of weariness around his eyes.

"I'll be fine," she assured him with an arrogant smile. "I always am."

Reno leaned down to kiss her tenderly, so carefully she could've cried with frustration because it wasn't enough, not even close. She didn't open her eyes when he straightened and neither when he opened the door. It took about ten seconds from the moment he'd closed it behind him until she dared to look up.

The first she had to do now was to water her plants. Mechanically she began with her morning routines. Shower, a bowl of cereal, coffee and the morning paper, then she'd be off to work. This was just like any other day, and if she reminded herself of that often enough then maybe, just maybe, she'd even start to believe it.

o  
O  
o

Yuffie wasted no time in calling Aerith.

"I'm okay. There never was a video."

"What a darn skunk!"

Yuffie agreed to a hundred and ten percent. When Aerith wanted to know more she gave her an edited version of what had happened and left the little thing in the end untold. That secret would follow her to the grave.

"Are you...?"

"We said our goodbyes," Yuffie said with a finality that put a lid on the subject – for ever. "I've been thinking, we should get together on Saturday, Tifa's back by then."

Aerith got the hint. "Sounds fun. Oh right, I've got something to tell you too. I tried out this dating program on the internet, and you should try it too. I already have three dates this week."

"No way, I sit enough by the computers at work, and by the way, this can be bad, Aers, there's a whole bunch of freaks out there."

"You're not talking about Reno now, are you?"

"No," Yuffie answered lowly.

"I was hoping..."

"It doesn't matter," she said and irritatedly waved her off.

"Yuffie, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just splendid. What about you?"

"I'll survive," Aerith said.

"Sold any more 'true' stories?"

"One. The story of a mafia princess that..."

_Oh gawd._ "Aerith, you promised!"

"Oh, it's not about you. It's about a girl who travels to Gongaga and get involved with the _Cosa Nostra._ I started it after I'd seen Reno for the first time, he's quite inspirational for that kind of fantasies..."

Yuffie knew exactly what she meant. "You're actually scaring me, Aerith," she laughed half-heartedly.

"About damn time," Aerith let out a peel of laughter.

o  
O  
o

For Reno, the week couldn't have gone slower. He appeared at Castello's and other places where it was good to be seen. At a billiard saloon he heard whispers of the new highway build.

A good thing was that work kept him busy. But a half of him missed Yuffie like crazy while the other part said it was best to leave it where it was. Her plant – no way in hell he'd call it Persimmon – made it though quite good, better than he'd feared.

Two times he almost dialed her number, and both times he'd hung up again.

By Thursday he was back at his table at Starbucks where he made a few calls and read the morning paper. After a while of waiting, Rude came in and sat down before him, grinning like a kid at Christmas morning. At least one of them was happy.

"It's either love or money," Reno sighed. "I'm guessing love."

"You should be a private investigator, my friend," Rude grinned towards him. Reno scanned his voice for hidden messages but came up blank. He was just cracking a joke, nothing else.

"The flowers worked?"

"Like a charm. When I confessed she ended up bawling against my shoulder. She never really wanted to marry that ass, and when I heard what he'd done to her I was ready to click him myself."

"She's married?" This was bad. "Stay away from married women, man. They only mean trouble."

"It's okay, I think she's in divorce."

Definitely bad. Was Rude getting played?

"You don't know what she's gonna do?"

"I know. And I know what I'm gonna do too. If he touches her again then...boom," Rude growled.

"Who're we talking about really?" Reno asked and prayed to Gaia that his bad feelings were wrong.

"Elena Shinra."

Reno swore so loudly that the whole café seemed to halt. "Rude, that's just madness."

Thank God Rude had the decency to look at least a little bit stupid. "I know, but I love her."

"Can't you fall in love with someone less married?" Reno wondered, keeping his voice low but nonetheless powerful.

"No."

Reno weren't the type of guy who wasted good advice to people who wouldn't listen anyways, so he let it be. "What are you gonna do?"

"Marry her."

"Bigamy is illegal, it'll give you at least five years behind bars," he groaned. "For fuck's sake, Rude!"

"She said she was divorcing Rufus," Rude repeated stubbornly.

"Rude, I like you, and I sure as hell don't wanna see you dead. Stay away from her."

"I need your help."

Shit, this just kept going downwards. "Don't ask me to do this..."

"She likes your girl, Yuffie. You know, Elena's not used to people who really listens to her, Rufus only tell her to shut up. I wanna show her how a normal relationship works, so I thought the four of us could go out."

"I don't wanna do this," he protested, though he wouldn't mind stealing some more of Yuffie's time.

"There's this ghost cruise down the river, some charity thing to get poor kids into school. I'll go with you and Yuffie, and we'll just happen to bump into Elena. We've planned the whole thing."

"I can't do this, Rude," Reno was begging him now. He'd tried to do the right thing with Yuffie and left her, he probably wouldn't be able to do it twice.

Rude fiddled with his shades, always a bad sign. "I'll give you two shares of the profits from my new thing, smuggle cigarettes."

Slowly, Reno looked around them. This wasn't at all how he'd planned it, but he'd just have to deal. "I'll help you, but no Yuffie. We're over."

"Make sure you get together again, then. Elena liked her."

"I can't, Rude."

His friend got up quicker than Reno'd thought possible for a man that size. "Have a nice life, Corlucci."

Reno rammed his fist onto the table, violent enough to make Rude halt and turn. Reno swore to himself. This was not supposed to happen, now he put the whole case on the line. He fumbled to get a grip on his medallion and squeezed it hardly. "Okay... I'm in."

Rude nodded. "I knew I could trust you."

"Sure. Reno the Reliable... That's me."

o  
O  
o

Tifa's homecoming was planned in detail. The day after her arrival from the honeymoon in Costa Del Sol they met up in Yuffie's apartment.

As soon as Tifa stepped through the door, the three friends raised their glasses in a cheerful welcome. Yuffie gave her a warm hug with her free arm. "Cheers to the few good men in this world, and to a woman lucky enough to have found one."

Tifa put her glass down on a table. "There's lots of good men out there, you've just got to have a little patience."

Aerith handed her olive to Tifa, she'd never truly understood the reason to put a thing not only so disgusting, but also quite ugly, in such a nice drink. Yet, would it still be a Martini without it? "You've clearly forgotten what a mess the looking part of it all is."

Scarlet sipped on her drink and leaned back against the couch she sat on. "Monogamous sex kills braincells. I saw it on a show on CNN."

Tifa rolled her eyes at the cynical comment and emptied her glass. "So what's happened here while I've been gone?"

Aerith glanced over at Yuffie and she answered with a 'don't say a _word_'-look. Too bad the hawk eyed Tifa didn't miss a thing. "What's going on?"

The doorbell rang and Yuffie leaped towards the hallway, fleeing the curious eyes of her friends. "Yay, pizza's here!"

She opened the door and outside...was Reno.

So, no pizza. Crappers.

Hastily, she slid outside and shut the door, determined not to let him leave, and just as determined not to let her friends see him.

"Hi," she said, scolding herself for sounding like an idiot.

"This is a bad time, I should have called first," he shook his head. "I'll be back later."

"No!" Yuffie grabbed his arm to stop him. "I just have some friends over and I..."

"It's okay," he said and took her hand. "I get it..."

He caressed the palm of her hand with his thumb, making it hard for her to breathe. "How are you?" he asked with a look that burnt it way straight through her heart.

"I missed you," she said with a childishly girlish voice.

"And I missed you," he said and kissed her.

It felt like it'd been three years since he'd kissed her the last time. For a moment she was in heaven, but he pulled back way too soon.

"Sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize, Mister!" she snarled.

"I'm so..." he started but quieted down when she glared at him. "No, you're right. That's not true, I can't say I'm sorry for this."

When he looked at her like that she could have just stood there for an eternity, but the others were bound to get nosy. "I got to go back inside, or they'll probably come out."

"I know. I didn't want to do this yo, but I don't have a choice. I have to ask you out." He groaned, drawing a hand over his face. "Shit, that didn't come out right. I'll start over; I've gone mental without you, and now I need your help. It's about Elena."

"How is she?" Yuffie asked him with worry.

"Just fine," he calmed her. "You remember Rude?"

"Big man, big shades?"

Reno smirked. "The one and only. He's trying to talk her into leaving Rufus Shinra and now he wants us to go out with them. On a date."

"Won't Rufus be mad?" she asked, realizing that sounded more than a little naive.

"He can't know what's going on," Reno clarified. "It's a charity raise for children and she'll meet us there. It'll all look completely innocent."

This was her chance to do something, she'd felt so helpless learning of Elena's situation...And she'd get to see Reno again. She hesitated so long with her answer that Reno started to despair.

"It's okay," he sighed. "I told them it was stupid."

"I'd love to help."

"No, screw Rude. Forget about it. If you wanna go out we'll come up with something else, like the movies or something."

"No, I really wanna help," she said with emphasis.

"Yuffie..."

"You asked, I said yes. Go on."

He gave her a long thoughtful look. "If you're in on this there are some rules."

She blinked at him and smiled. "I'm good at following rules."

"Keep your name to yourself, don't pass it out to strangers. And _never_ tell them your real name, if you get in a situation where you have to."

"I can do that," she assured.

"And we'll take my car, yours is too easy to look up."

"Do I have to use the wig?" she asked, hoping for a no.

He thought about it for a second. "Yeah, take it. And don't talk too much about yourself, keep it superficial and vague."

"You keep this going and I'll get a complex."

"I just don't want to put you out at risk. Rude's a good guy and all, but..."

"It's okay, I get it."

They agreed he'd pick her up the next night and it was time to say goodbye again. Just then the door opened and Tifa poked her head out. Reno dodged to the side and Yuffie kicked the door shut with a bang, in the face of her best friend. _Oh, she's so gonna kill me for that._

"It's a guy selling dictionaries," she called through the closed door. "You know I'm a geek when it comes to those. I'll be in in a sec."

Reno grinned at her. "Dictionaries?"

Red flames scorched her cheeks in embarrassment. "I had to come up with _something_."

"We'll, I'd better get going. I'll see you tomorrow," he said and leaned down. "Just one kiss."

"I could get used to this," she mumbled against his lips.

"I already have," he countered and kissed her harder.

o  
o  
o  
O  
o  
o  
o

**AN;** _And there you have it. As you see it's not over yet and there are still quite a few things in store for this story. I'm pretty sure of where it's all going plot-wise, but nothing's set in stone yet. Anyways, we've hopefully seen the last of Genesis the Scumbag and set course for new adventures, which seems a bit more dangerous than the exposure of a fake sex tape.  
My thanks to acri, Strawberrysodapop, MyIncentive, Mitsukai, Polkaspot Pajamas, Patrick, and all of you who put this story on Alert. Oh, and Packers, I hope you're satisfied with the middle part. (He's been waiting for it since November!)  
I really hope the length of this chapter can make up for the time you've spent waiting. Sadly, I hit quite a writer's block, but now I feel I'm back in the game and ready to go!_

_I love and desperatly need comments and concrit is always appreciated, flames will be ignored and deleted. Enjoy!_

_/ MHz_

PS, I know there are typos here for sure, but since I'm too tired to make the final proof read, I'll leave it for tomorrow. Right now, I just wanna post the darn thing. DS


	6. Matters of the Heart

**AN: _Merry Christmas! _**_As you see, I haven't given up on this story. It's been a turbulent year for me, but I'm back on track again with the writing, and I hope that I still have some followers left. :) _

_**Warning** for sexual content further down the middle._

_o_

_O_

_o_

**Matters of the Heart**_**  
**_

_o_

_O_

_o**  
**_

Once Reno had taken off Yuffie stepped back into her apartment. She _thought_ she was off the hook, thanks to the dictionary excuse, and her friends continued to let her believe so for a few hours until Tifa dragged her out into the kitchen.

"Who was it?"

Yuffie opened a cabinet to grab a new bag of chips and emptied it into a bowl. "I told you. Some guy who wanted to sell me some dictionaries."

"Liar."

"Leave it, Teef."

Tifa shrugged and popped a chip in her mouth. "I know it's all your business, but if it was that guy from work..."

"Geez, it wasn't Genesis!" Yuffie snapped.

Tifa stared at her and Yuffie waited uncomfortably for a third degree interrogation. But nothing came.

Tifa broke the silence first. "Okay. But call me if you need to talk to me – about anything."

"I promise," Yuffie assured her, knowing very well that she never would.

"Best friends?"

Yuffie answered the question with a warm hug. "Always."

Scarlet and Tifa left by midnight, but Aerith lingered.

"Was that Reno?" she asked. "I thought you were done with him."

"I still have to pay him. You know how those mobs obsess about their payments."

Aerith didn't seem to believe her anymore than Tifa had. "Be careful."

"Don't worry." Yuffie plastered a toothy smile on her face. She'd gotten quite good at lying to her friends.

As she closed the door after her friend another smile appeared. Tomorrow. If she only knew how to break through the time barrier she'd jump into tomorrow.

o  
O  
o

The next day Reno came to pick her up. Yuffie opened the door, wearing jeans and a top that left her tummy bare.

"You look amazing," he said and stared at her with hunger.

She smiled and opened her mouth to answer when her phone started ringing. Hastily she gestured for Reno to wait before she ran to get the phone.

"Hi pops," Reno could hear. _So she has a dad, eh._

"Yeah yeah, I'm all fine. But, um, I'm kinda in a hurry..."

The voice in the phone interrupted her. "Yes, dad, I've got a date."

The phone voice said something more.

"He's really nice."

_Nice?_ Reno thought about it for a second. _Maybe._

"I don't know. But I really have to go now." Yuffie said her farewells and hung up. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No prob."

"I'll get my coat. It might take a while, I have to find it first."

"I'll wait."

Once again the phone started ringing.

"I'll get that," she called from the other room. Rushing back into the living room, she took the phone.

"Hey Scarlet," she answered, rolling her eyes towards Reno. "Wow... That sounds like fun."

"Tonight?"

_She's gonna lie... Right?_

Yuffie fiddled with the cord and avoided his gaze. "Nah, I'm not feeling so good."

_She did it._

"A killer headache. I'm gonna take a couple of aspirin and go to bed."

"No no, it's probably nothing serious."

"Sure, have fun, y'all. You'll have to tell me all about it later."

_And of course her friends ain't gonna get to know anything about _our_ night. _

Yuffie took her coat and Reno could see the self-guilt burning in her eyes.

_Don't worry, it'll get easier for every time._

"You ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, we better get going."

_Before someone else calls..._

o  
O  
o

Even before they arrived Reno knew the night would be a complete failure. A ghost cruise by the docks. Mutilation, murder, shipwrecks, ghosts. All in his taste.

The 'Ghost hunter' himself sat on deck and a major part of his audience listened intently. Rude waved to them from the top deck and Reno dragged Yuffie with him through the mass of people. So far there was no sign of Elena. Once the introductions were over, Rude took off to get the two something to drink.

"A nice night," Reno said whilst the old 'ghost hunter' began semi-whispering about an unusually nasty murder.

"Perfect for a tour on the water," Yuffie chirped, seemingly not even slightly afraid for ghosts and wraiths. She tossed her fake hair over her shoulders in the cool evening air and leaned over the polished brass rail. Reno looked at her and felt that maybe, _just maybe_, there could be some kind of future for them. But that was a dangerous thing to even consider and he scolded himself for it. Straightening himself, he stepped up beside her. "Thanks for coming with me," he said.

She gave him a smirk filled with skepticism. "Oh, so you've changed your mind. This is suddenly a good thing?"

"It's been a good thing all along, just not a very smart thing," he answered as he registered Rude closing in with Elena close behind.

"Look who I bumped into," Rude said with his deep rumbling voice. Elena was chatting away about her new hair dresser and Rude seemed to swallow her every word with an unusually stupid look on his face. The guy was in love. Definitely in love.

"She's married," Yuffie whispered. "You shouldn't encourage this."

As if he didn't know that already. "I just wanna help so that she can leave Shinra without him getting pissed."

When Elena turned her head to say something to a pair of mafia-looking guys, Rude also turned to give his friends quite the evil eye. "You're not helping here," he grunted. "Look more excited. You know, some eye contact and stuff."

"You trying to tell me what to do?" Reno bit off, giving the big man a silent but obvious warning to get off their backs.

Yuffie feigned a swoon. "Mr Romance, is that you?"

"No. Never," he said and defended his right to be just as unromantic as he wanted to be.

"I don't know why I worry, " Yuffie mumbled. "She really needs to get away from that SOB so I should be all supportive of this."

Sadly enough, Reno knew exactly what the problem was. Yuffie was used to a world where everything was black and white, facts and theories, right and wrong. To him, that borderline had never been very clear.

He put his arm around Yuffie and for just a few minutes they were just another loving couple looking up to the starlit sky. Until Rude took him aside. The large man handed him an address for the cigarettes. _One step at a time. _The guys at the station would be proud.

"You want your money right away?" Reno asked.

"No, I trust you. Wait until you've got the goods and look me up later."

Reno nodded. "I appreciate it, Rude."

"It's nothing. Elena's fantastic, isn't she?"

"Sure."

Reno threw a look over at Yuffie who was busy pointing to the sky.

o  
O  
o

Yuffie had been spending the time pointing out different star constellations and their stories to Elena who listened with great fascination. Even Rude seemed a bit interested behind his big shades.

Reno suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Excuse us a moment," he said to Rude. "We have a private thing to talk about."

Yuffie raised her eyebrow at his commanding voice. When he dragged her into a dark corner on the lower deck she could feel a warm exciting tingle fill up her chest. To her great disappointment he didn't touch her again but instead started wandering back and forth like some electromagnetic wave.

The tingle died.

"Are you okay?" he wondered.

"I don't think I broke anything at least," she answered with a gentle rubbing of her arm.

Reno winced. "Sorry, I just wanted to be careful."

"Don't you know there's a little something called 'too careful'?"

"You can never be too careful."

Yuffie chose not to argue.

"Rude's actually kind of sweet. He's really into Elena."

"That's great," Reno said distantly.

"I thought that was what you wanted... For him to be happy."

"I do. It's just that I have a bad feeling tonight."

"It's all this talk about ghosts and spirits, huh? Too many dead?"

"Yeah... To many dead."

Yuffie had her own suspicions. She'd seen him talking to some fishy guy after his short talk with Rude. But her instincts told her to butt out off his business if their relationship was ever going to survive. _Is that what we've got? A relationship? _The careful voice in her head said no. Two dates and a long night with unforgettable sex didn't make a relationship. _Hot, steaming, vibrating sex..._

"I'm sorry," Reno interrupted her thoughts. "I wish I was a better company tonight. Rude haven't bothered you or something, has he?"

"No."

"And the other guys?"

"Not even a little. They've even been quite nice."

"Good. Want something to drink? Eat?"

"Reno... Relax a little."

"Sure, so that..." he begun and leaned onto the rail. He started drumming his fingers against the cold brass.

Probably not a good sign, Yuffie assumed. "Are you always this nervy?" she asked. Not to pry, but to make him calm down a notch. He was getting her nerves all jumpy too.

"I don't like that you have to see all this shit," he said in a hard tone.

Ah. They were back to the discussion of his choice of profession. Yuffie didn't want to talk about it. If they ignored it, maybe it'd go away.

This was the time to be bold. She threw her arms around him and gave him a real knockout kiss. She could feel the tension in him, his muscles hard like burned concrete, but this was a battle she knew she could win. Using her tongue and lips he gradually relaxed. _There we go, I've got him where I want him now._

His arms wrapped around her, cupped her behind and pressed her against him. She shivered as his hands wandered up under her top, reaching her bare skin. Lips caressed her sensitive neck. "You interested in ghost stories?" He whispered in her ear.

"No, it's just a bunch of dead people," she whispered back and let her hands slip in under his white shirt.

"We really should get back up to the others," Reno mumbled, kittling the side of her neck with the tip of his tongue.

"We don't _have_ to," she retorted as sinful pictures flew by her eyes.

Reno laughed slyly and she knew they where on the same level.

"Yuffie," he groaned. "We'll be stuck on this boat for at least two more hours and there's people everywhere. It's impossible."

Yuffie let her fingers wander over his back. "Nothing's impossible..."

His turquoise eyes sparked and his smile faded. This was the most dangerous side of Reno. Unpredictable and unreadable. "Come with me."

They sneaked in between a small passage and ended up at a locked door.

"Damn it," Yuffie swore.

"Oh, what's a lock, really?" Reno smirked and within a minute they stood on the other side of the door.

The room seemed to be some sort of a storage with piles of life jackets and large wooden boxes. Not the most romantic place one could imagine, but at least they'd be undisturbed. The lights from the top deck slipped through the springs in the ceiling, creating a warm glow. The ship swayed slowly over the waves and under their feet they could feel the rhythmic thudding of the engines.

Yuffie felt him beside her in the darkness and when she felt his hands on her body the fire inside her burst into a flaming inferno. Waves of heat pulsated through her when he leaned her backwards over a box, using his teeth to nibble over her stomach and aching breast. She whispered his name, concentrated on it, because he was well on his way to driving her insane. He fumbled with the zip to her pants and she resolutely pushed down both her pants and underwear in one quick movement, carelessly kicking them to the side. She hungered for him to come inside her and so she told him, again and again. He pushed her further back until her back was pressed to the hard wood. Gripping her ankles, he parted her legs. He gave her a couple of seconds to adjust to his size and then lifted her legs up until they rested on his shoulders. She felt as she was almost being ripped in two.

This wasn't going to work. She was a physician, she knew it wouldn't work.

He pulled out and pushed back in, slowly, and she had to reconsider.

Then he did it again.

Yep, it was actually gonna work.

They moved together, found their rhythm and kept going until her body had opened up completely for him. Then he picked up his pace.

This was the Reno Corlucci she was afraid of. The man that forced himself into her most inner being and took whatever he wanted.

But if this night was only about pleasure, she'd have hers too.

Locking her legs around his neck, she let her thoughts go to let the feelings take over. The damp skin of their bodies met with an echoing sound. Wood cut into her back and... Oh God, she'd never felt so good. It was rough and sweaty and undeniably passionated.

She trembled desperately for something to hold on to, anything that could keep her from losing her mind, but there was nothing. Only him. She exposed everything to him, she was at his mercy. Never had Yuffie allowed herself to be in such a dangerous situation.

The pressure just kept on rising and Reno showed no mercy as he forced her even higher. She wouldn't be able to last much longer.

_I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna scream, I have to scream!_

"No screaming, Yuffie. Here, bite," he said and cupped his hand over her mouth. She bit, hard, and he kept moving deeper and deeper until he tensed up, buried deep inside of her. She heard a deep, guttural growl, felt his muscles jerk in satisfaction... And then he tenderly and carefully let go of his grip on her.

She lied there, more or less dead, and knew she would never feel like that with another man again. Was it really just sex?

Well, not_ just _sex... Wonderful sex, fantastic sex, _divine_ sex. She had just been with a man that had to be called a master in erotic arts.

He practically fell down beside her, not close enough to touch her, but she could still feel his warmth. And he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. She lied motionless whilst her every nerve impulse seemed concentrated to that one spot. A warm shiver danced through her spine and she wanted to believe it was only because of all the ghost stories she'd heard. There was just one problem... Yuffie had never believed in ghosts.

o  
O  
o

Not entirely without difficulty they managed to get dressed in the dark. Just as Reno went to open the door he heard voices outside, voices he knew. "We've got company," he whispered over his shoulder.

"Elena, you can't stay with him. Rufus is one of those guys that never stops. He's gonna keep hitting until there's nothing left of you."

"He killed Tseng, Rude. I can't believe he did that."

Reno stiffened. If only he'd had a bug on him tonight, then he could've busted Shinra by now. But bugs where dangerous, and Yuffie would've found it long before it'd come to use.

"We don't know that for sure."

"I heard him. He's never had anyone killed before. There are things I can handle... Theft, blackmail, ever arson. But to kill another person? No... That's more than I can deal with."

"That's why you have to leave him. I can get you the money and tickets."

"You're a good guy, Rude, but you have to stay out of this. Promise me that. I'll fix everything, just give me some time to think."

"Just don't think for too long."

"I won't... Where do you think Reno and Yuffie went?"

"You need to guess?"

Reno pulled a face and wondered if Yuffie had heard that last part. She was way too quiet.

"He's a good guy too."

"Maybe. The Boss don't trust him at all. But what does he know? The guy's an asshole for not treating you right. If there's anything you need and you can't get a hold on me, you call Reno, okay?"

Steps echoed towards wood and the voices died out. Reno sighed in relief.

"Coast clear?" Yuffie whispered.

He opened the door slightly and peeked out. The passage seemed empty and he opened up completely. "You ready to go up there?"

Not that he really felt up to the idea of more ghosts and smugglers, but at least he'd be able to think clear. And he really had some thinking to do.

She didn't answer and he turned to look at her. Her face shined like white snow in the moonlight. She was scared. _Fuck it, Corlucci, she's not used to this shit._

Awkwardly, he patted her arm, but she wouldn't take notice of him. "Yuffie?"

"I didn't know..."

It was his fault. He'd been so captivated by her that he'd almost forgotten the cruel world he lived in. Taking a step back, he tried to calm both her and herself down. "The ride's over soon. I'll drive you home as soon as we've arrived by the docks."

Her eyes cleared and she smiled weakly. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

That was good, because he sure as hell wasn't. He doubted he'd ever be fine again.

o  
O  
o

A couple of minutes after midnight the ship reached the end of its journey. Yuffie had never been so happy to see solid ground. She'd just been on a joy ride with a bunch of men that considered life and death as something you could bargain. _Even Reno thinks like that._

And it didn't matter how much she wanted to shy away from what was real. This was far away from any movie or news article. She wanted to run away from it, but she didn't. Wasn't this their last night together? _Sure Yuffs, that excuse is getting old..._

Walking behind Reno and Rude, she witnessed how a large black car picked up Elena to drive her home and back to her husband.

"You alright?" Reno asked Rude.

Rude grunted and nodded, but his hands shivered. Not a good sign for a man that so far hadn't had any sort of neurological disease, at least not that Reno knew of.

"I gotta take Yuffie home. Don't go doing anything stupid now!"

Rude shook his head in silence and walked towards his own car. Yuffie pitied him. That huge bear of a man was going to get his heart crushed.

"You sure he's okay?" she wondered.

"He'll survive. I'll take you home."

Home. Her plants, her TV, day old pizza. And Reno would be there. She longed to change into a comfy sweatshirt and settle down in her couch together with him. He could put his arm around her, like he'd done earlier, and make her feel safe. A surprising thought really, for an independent realist like herself.

Reno took her hand and his skin was warm and comforting. In that moment, she just wanted to live, because tomorrow he'd be gone.

Once they arrived at her house, he walked her up to her port. "I'm not staying or anything. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe."

Yuffie froze. The small burning hope she'd nourished for the last minutes took its last breath and died out. "I'm never gonna see you again, am I?"

He shook his head.

"Okay," she said, doing her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

They were strangers – with an entire world between them – but he'd still seen something in her that no one else ever had. A feminine particle of some sort that she didn't know she possessed. It was their own special little secret... Something that made their relationship so much more intimate. And dangerous.

If only...

"Wait," she called out as he turned to leave, her brain working frantically for something to talk about, but it found nothing. _Let him go._

"I have to go," he said and avoided her stare. But she still noticed that he didn't move.

"Can I ask you something?" she wondered. A stupid line since she didn't have any questions she dared to say.

"That's probably not a good idea, _sassy,_" he said, still refusing to meet her eyes. "I'll see you around," he added over his shoulder and started walking.

"Don't get caught," she whispered to herself and waited until he disappeared around the corner before she walked in.

The flat was dark and the answering machine's red lamp flashed expectantly for her to press the play button. She lit the small lamp above it, but it died again with a poof and all went dark again. But there was something different about the darkness now, wherever she looked she could see shadows. New and strange shadows.

_It's just all the tension from tonight. A few ghost stories on a boat and now you see ghosts everywhere?_

Moonlight trickled in through the swaying branches outside her window. She reached out her hand and used the back of the couch to guide her. She heard her own breaths, in and out, in and out, and suddenly another noise. Vague and soft, as if there was someone else there breathing too.

_That's ridiculous. Shape up, Yuffie!_

Then she felt it – the light touch to her arm.

She screamed.

Armed with her purse she threw herself at the intruder and dragged him to the floor. The explosive thump echoed in the room.

The front door suddenly flew up and she heard Reno calling her name. _Thank God._

Light filled the room as the large lamp over her lit up.

_Aw... Fuck!_

The silent intruder was no intruder at all. It was her giant ficus. And she'd dragged down an entire shelf of flowers with it. Mold and soil lay spread over the floor and the poor helpless flowers were pretty much smashed under the broken pots and jars.

She had screamed. She – who'd never even considered herself to be a screamer – had screamed like a terrified pathetic little girl. And Reno had seen it.

With astonishment, he stared at the mess she'd made. "I heard you scream," he said while trying not to laugh. "Wow, you've got some mean ninja skills... You attack plants often?"

"Oh, shut up!" She got up as gracefully as her damaged dignity allowed, all the while glaring at him, and brushed some soil off of her clothes. "I was a little clumsy, that's all," she said.

"I thought someone was attacking you."

"No no, not at all," she chattered nervously and pushes the ficus back up on its place.

He started picking up the shards from the floor. "I'll help you clean up."

She should have told him to leave then, so she could keep her pride intact, but she didn't. For about a half hour they cleaned together until they'd erased almost every trace of her humiliating scene.

"You want anything to drink?" she asked, feeling she should offer him something as she longed for him to stay. She didn't dare to ask that of him.

"No thanks," he said, but he didn't make any sign of leaving.

"Oh," seemed to be the most quick-witted she could come up with at the moment.

"You got scared?" he grinned at her and the mini-universe spun at least twice.

Weakness had never been something she'd tolerated, so she lowered her head and stared at her feet. "Just a little."

"I see." He sank down in her couch, seemingly making himself at home. Something warm and sunny bloomed inside her.

He was staying.

o  
O  
o

Reno saw her smile widen as she sat down in the armchair in front of him. They'd just crossed a line. Passion and sex were things you could easily walk away from. But intimacy and secrets would bind people together, fuse them into one.

"Don't you ever get scared?" she asked, drilling her eyes into his in a try to find his secret.

"Sure I do," he answered lightly.

"Of what?"

_The truth._

Frankly, it scared him shitless. Ten years had gone by, but he still lived in the fear that the Gongagan Police would track him down and charge him for assisting homicide. When a crime ends up with a dead body, all involved could be prosecuted, and he'd been very much involved.

"I don't like lizards," he said and met her gaze.

She pressed on. "Are you never afraid of getting arrested or shot?"

Once upon a time he would've welcomed death. But not anymore. "We'll all die one day."

"Sure, but there's no reason to rush it. I mean, you use a safety belt, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"And you walk on the sidewalk?"

"Yes."

"And you stick to the speed restrictions?"

"Pretty much."

"You do all that to prolong life. So why not pick a carrier with a pension plan? Public Service... That's really popular now. Or the medical service!"

"Yuffie," he tried once he understood that she was looking for something better in him than what was already there.

She ignored him and kept going. "And there's the safety business. I'm sure you'd fit perfectly there."

"Yuffie..."

But she wouldn't get discouraged. "I could see what we've got open at my work. There's lots of stuff you could do, depending on what experience you have..."

She finally silenced, waiting for some sort of reaction from him. When he saw the anxiety in her eyes he suddenly felt inexcusably selfish. And so he let the first of his well guarded secrets slip.

"I'm a cop."

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again with a dumbfounded look on her face. And then she smiled again, and it was like a million new stars had found their way up to the sky. He'd never seen anything so pretty in his life.

"Thank God!"

o

o

o

O

o

o

o

There you have it, chapter 6. Rest assured that the troubles aren't over. Where will they go from here? Will Yuffie's friends finally find out? Can Rude stay out of trouble? Stay tuned!

**_MHz _**


End file.
